Participation In Organized Sports Research Articles

The Preparticipation Sports Evaluation

1. Andrew R. Peterson, MD, MSPH* 2. David T. Bernhardt, MD† 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. 2. †Departments of Pediatrics and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Perform a preparticipation history and physical examination and identify children and adolescents who may be at increased risk of morbidity or mortality from sports participation. 2. Recognize that many adolescents make infrequent contact with the medical system and that the mandatory preparticipation evaluation serves as an opportunity to address medical issues not necessarily associated with sports participation. 3. Know the conditions that should be evaluated by a cardiologist before sports participation. 4. Discuss the importance of assessing and documenting neurocognitive function in a preparticipation sports examination. 5. Understand that disqualification from one sport does not imply disqualification from all sports. Sports participation among people of all ages has increased steadily over the past 4 decades. This trend generally has been considered to be a positive development, with conventional wisdom asserting that sports participation teaches leadership and cooperative skills that have a lifelong impact. In addition, as the obesity pandemic worsens, organized sports participation and unstructured play or physical exercise can be a source of needed physical activity for children and adolescents. The pediatrician often is asked to evaluate a child's or adolescent's suitability for sports participation. The purpose of this evaluation has remained constant since it was first described in 1978. (1)(2) The goals are to fulfill the institution's legal and liability requirements, provide some assurance to coaches that athletes will start the season at an acceptable level of health and fitness, provide an opportunity to discover treatable conditions, and aid in predicting and preventing future injuries. The evaluation should be practical and applicable to all sports. The specific objectives of the evaluation …

Physical Activity During Soccer and Its Contribution to Physical Activity Recommendations in Normal Weight and Overweight Children

Amid the childhood obesity epidemic, understanding how organized sports participation contributes to meeting physical activity recommendations in children is important. Anthropometrics were measured in children (n = 111; 68% female, 9.1 ± 0.8 yr) before one 50-min soccer match. Time spent at different physical activity intensity levels was examined using Actigraph accelerometers. 49% of the match time was spent in sedentary activity (25.4 ± 5.7 min), while 33% of the match (16.9 ± 4.7 min) was spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA; p < .001). 22.5% of the children were overweight/obese and spent more time in sedentary activity (+3.2 ± 1.2 min; p < .05) and less time in MVPA (-3.0 ± 1.0 min; p < .01) compared with the normal weight children. These data demonstrate that playing an organized sport such as soccer only meets a portion (~25%) of the 60 min of MVPA recommended and even less of this recommendation is met by overweight/obese children.

Motor Skill Performance and Sports Participation in Deaf Elementary School Children

This study aimed to examine motor performance in deaf elementary school children and its association with sports participation. The population studied included 42 deaf children whose hearing loss ranged from 80 to 120 dB. Their motor skills were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and a questionnaire was used to determine their active involvement in organized sports. The deaf children had significantly more borderline and definite motor problems than the normative sample: 62% (manual dexterity), 52% (ball skills), and 45% (balance skills). Participation in organized sports was reported by 43% of the children; these children showed better performance on ball skills and dynamic balance. This study demonstrates the importance of improving deaf children's motor skill performance, which might contribute positively to their sports participation.

Are gross motor skills and sports participation related in children with intellectual disabilities?

This study compared the specific gross motor skills of 156 children with intellectual disabilities (ID) (50 ≤ IQ ≥ 79) with that of 255 typically developing children, aged 7–12 years. Additionally, the relationship between the specific gross motor skills and organized sports participation was examined in both groups. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and a self-report measure were used to assess children's gross motor skills and sports participation, respectively. The children with ID scored significantly lower on almost all specific motor skill items than the typically developing children. Children with mild ID scored lower on the locomotor skills than children with borderline ID. Furthermore, we found in all groups that children with higher object-control scores participated more in organized sports than children with lower object-control scores. Our results support the importance of attention for well-developed gross motor skills in children with borderline and mild ID, especially to object-control skills, which might contribute positively to their sports participation.

Social stratification and sports in Amsterdam in the 20th century

Participation in organized sports is considered as a lifestyle characteristic that is dependent on social class and status considerations. It has been argued that each sport, to a certain extent, can be considered as a representative of certain status categories. These social status categories are dynamic and their size, exclusiveness, and even existence are related to the class structures that arise with the development of economic structure. In this article these ideas are given further critical elaboration through the study of the contemporary demographic distribution of participation in different branches of sports in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

School playgrounds and physical activity policies as predictors of school and home time activity

BackgroundPrevious work has suggested that the number of permanent play facilities in school playgrounds and school-based policies on physical activity can influence physical activity in children. However, few comparable studies have used objective measures of physical activity or have had little adjustment for multiple confounders.MethodsPhysical activity was measured by accelerometry over 5 recess periods and 3 full school days in 441 children from 16 primary schools in Dunedin, New Zealand. The number of permanent play facilities (swing, fort, slide, obstacle course, climbing wall etc) in each school playground was counted on three occasions by three researchers following a standardized protocol. Information on school policies pertaining to physical activity and participation in organized sport was collected by questionnaire.ResultsMeasurement of school playgrounds proved to be reliable (ICC 0.89) and consistent over time. Boys were significantly more active than girls (P < 0.001), but little time overall was spent in moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Boys engaged in MVPA for 32 (SD 17) minutes each day of which 17 (10) took place at school compared with 23 (14) and 11 (7) minutes respectively in girls. Each additional 10-unit increase in play facilities was associated with 3.2% (95% CI 0.0-6.4%) more total activity and 8.3% (0.8-16.3%) more MVPA during recess. By contrast, school policy score was not associated with physical activity in children.ConclusionThe number of permanent play facilities in school playgrounds is associated with higher physical activity in children, whereas no relationship was observed for school policies relating to physical activity. Increasing the number of permanent play facilities may offer a cost-effective long-term approach to increasing activity levels in children.

Confessions of a baseball mom: The impact of youth sports on parents' feelings and behaviors

To explore parents' emotional investment in and behaviors in response to youth sports, the author conducted a mixed-methods investigation to answer four research questions: (1)How do parents feel about their children's participation in organized youth team sports? (2) Which situations trigger which feelings? (3) How do parents' feelings influence their behaviors? (4) What parental characteristics (such as personal histories or demographics) are linked to different feelings and behaviors? The research indicated that many parents' feelings are triggered by their children's sports experiences and that adults must learn how to translate these feelings into productive behaviors.

Sustained Involvement in Youth Sports Activities Predicts Reduced Chronic Job Strain in Early Midlife

We examined the long-term effects of youth leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and sports participation on the prevalence of chronic work stress in adulthood. Participants (326 men and 338 women) aged 9 to 18 years were initially enrolled in 1980 and followed until 2007. Data were collected using questionnaires and bicycle ergometry in a subgroup. High youth LTPA and sports participation predicted lower chronic job strain in both sexes. The association was mediated by type A leadership. Participation and persistence in organized youth sports followed a similar pattern. In the subgroup, adult physical fitness only partly accounted for the association. Sustained involvement in youth physical activity and sport lasting at least 3 years is associated with reduced chronic job strain in adulthood. The association was partially explained by type A leadership and physical fitness.

Effectiveness of JUMP-in, a Dutch primary school-based community intervention aimed at the promotion of physical activity

PurposeThe aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the JUMP-in programme on sports participation, overall physical activity (PA), shuttle run score and body composition in 6–12-year-old...

Using path analysis to understand parents' perceptions of their children's weight, physical activity and eating habits in the Champlain region of Ontario

Parents have a fundamental role in promoting the healthy weight of their children. To determine parental perceptions of their child's body weight, eating and physical activity (PA) behaviours, and to test a predictive model of parental perceptions regarding their child's PA and healthy eating behaviours. A random-digit telephone survey was conducted among parents of children four to 12 years of age living in the Champlain region of Ontario. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses. Path analysis was used to identify predictors of parental perceptions of PA and healthy eating. The study sample consisted of 1940 parents/caregivers. Only 0.2% of parents reported their child as being obese; 8.6% reported their child as being overweight. Most parents perceived their child to be physically active and eating healthily. Approximately 25% of parents reported that their child spent 2 h/day or more in front of a screen, and that their child consumed less than three servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and regularly consumed fast food. Variables that correlated with PA perceptions included time spent reading/doing homework, interest in PA, perceived importance of PA, frequency of PA, level of parental PA, participation in organized sport, child weight and parental concern for weight. Variables that predicted perceptions regarding healthy eating were parental education, household income, preparation of home-cooked meals, fruit and vegetable intake, and concern for and influence on the child's weight. Parents in the present study sample did not appear to understand, or had little knowledge of the recommendations for PA and healthy eating in children. Parents appeared to base their judgment of healthy levels of PA or healthy eating behaviours using minimal criteria; these criteria are inconsistent with those used by health professionals to define adequate PA and healthy eating. The present survey highlights an important knowledge gap between scientific opinion and parental perceptions of the criteria for healthy PA and eating behaviours.

Relation between participation in sport activities and drug-taking among 14 year-old primary school pupils in Slovenia

Purpose/Objective: The aim of this research was to establish whether there is a correlation between sport activity and drug-taking among 680 14-year-old pupils, and to establish whether the drug-sports link depends on the type of sports. Methods: We used a questionnaire with 38 variables on sports activities and drugs. The probability relations among the variables were tested by chi-square. Results: The analysis has shown that 74.6 % male and 79.3 % female pupils practise sports in their leisure time. On average, they practise sports 2 to 3 times a week. The majority of male pupils practise sports competitively, while female pupils primarily practise unorganized recreational sports. 7.3 % male and 16.6 % female pupils smoke; the majority of male pupils had the first cigarette at the age of 13, female pupils at the age of 12. 87–4 % male and 85.5 % female pupils had tried an alcohol beverage. 21.6 % male and 29.3 % female pupils had tried drugs. We have ascertained that there is some statistically significant correlation between sports activities and taking licit and illicit drugs. A statistically characteristic correlation has been established for alcohol drinking with male pupils and for smoking with female pupils. We also observed a significant correlation between organized sports as the type of sports and drug use. Conclusion: We can conclude that persistent sports inactivity in adolescence may increase the risk of alcohol use among male, and smoking among female pupils. Participation in organized sports, as opposed to unorganized and competitive sports, may reduce illicit drug use.

National Children’s Study Expands

during the time period when reported concussions increased, participation in organized team sports decreased. The researchers estimated that about 385 000 children aged 7 to 17 participated in the top 5 organized teams posts in 1997, with the number falling to just over 330 000 participants by 2007. McCrea does not have hard data, but hespeculatedthat theincreasingnumber ofconcussionsduringa timeofapparent declining participation in sports may be the result of how those children remaining inasport trainandcompete.“Participationinsportshasbecomeayear-around commitment;youusedtoplayfootball for 2monthsandthenmoveontobasketball andthenmaybetrackandfield,”McCrea said.“Somaybeparticipationisdown,but for those playing, say football, the number of exposures seems to be certainly higher than seen a decade ago.” In August, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first clinical report offering guidance in the treatment and management of sportsrelated concussion in children and adolescents (Halstead ME, Walter KD; the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Pediatrics. 2010;126[3]:597615). Mark E. Halstead, MD, a coauthor of the clinical report and assistant professor of orthopedics and pediatrics at Washington University in St Louis, said their guidance lays out parameters to be used in assessing when an athlete can return to competition following a concussion. “Rather then telling a player to sit out for a set period of time, we gradually increase the athlete’s activities over a 5-day period to make sure the athlete does not demonstrate symptoms,” Halstead said. Deciding when an athlete is well enoughtoreturntocompetitionremains a bit of a mystery, McCrea said, because there is little rigorous evidence to show what works best. He said the decision to return is especially difficult to make for thosewhohavehadrepeatedconcussions andthatsuchadeterminationisprobably best made by the treating physician. “No adult signs his or her own returnto-work slip after they have had a stroke, but return-to-play for concussion for decades has been managed by the injured athlete or nonmedical professionals” such as parents, coaches, or trainers, McCrea said. “But there has been some positive movement in creating policy requiring medical clearance before one can return to an activity.”

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in the Prepubescent and Adolescent Athlete: Clinical and Research Considerations

Exercise across the lifespan is an important maintenance program for good health. Particularly in the American population, exercise is essential to prevent such conditions as obesity, diabetes, and cardiac problems, which often result in premature death. However, those who exercise by participating in sports from a young age can suffer debilitating injuries that may curtail their ability to exercise throughout their lives, thus hampering their efforts to stay healthy and avoid disease. EPIDEMIOLOGY

Relationships Between Youth Sport Participation and Selected Health Risk Behaviors From 1999 to 2007

How adolescents spend their out-of-school time represents one of the most important factors for predicting positive youth development. Sport participation relates to many beneficial outcomes. However, current economic conditions threaten high school sport programs around the United States. This investigation examined relationships by year between sport participation and numerous health risk behaviors among high school students. Data were derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveys administered every 2 years from 1999 through 2007. Items assessed were sport participation, vigorous physical activity, dietary habits, weight loss, sexual activity, interpersonal violence and suicidality, and substance use. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships between sport participation and each health behavior. Interaction effects tested whether relationships varied by year, sex, age, and/or race/ethnicity. Analyses revealed some consistencies across years in relationships between sport participation and health risk behaviors for both sexes. However, most relationships varied by race/ethnicity. Among White students, sport participation related to multiple positive health behaviors. Conversely, African American, Hispanic, and Other athletes showed fewer positive health behaviors and some negative behaviors. Findings suggest that participation in organized sports affords many health benefits to most adolescents, but relates to some negative health behaviors in certain subgroups. Information regarding sport participation and health risk behaviors among subgroups across years can inform school policy, practice, and future research.

Adolescent substance use, parental monitoring, and leisure-time activities: 12-year outcomes of primary prevention in Iceland

ObjectiveTo examine 12-year changes in alcohol use and cigarette smoking in response to community-based prevention activities among Icelandic adolescents. MethodsThis study used a quasi-experimental, non-randomized control group design to compare outcomes in 4 Icelandic communities (n=3117) that participated in community-based substance use prevention activities designed to increase levels of parental monitoring and adolescent engagement in healthy leisure-time activities and a matched group of 7 comparison communities (n=1,907). Annual, nationwide, population-based cross-sectional surveys of the prevalence of adolescent substance use were conducted among cohorts of Icelandic adolescents, aged 14–15years (N=5,024), in all communities from 1997 to 2009. ResultsParental monitoring and adolescent participation in organized sports increased in communities that adopted the intervention program compared to communities that did not, whereas unmonitored idle hours and attendance at unsupervised parties decreased. Over time, alcohol use (OR=0.89, 95% CI 0.82, 0.98, p=0.012) and being intoxicated during the last 30days (OR=0.86, 95% CI 0.78, 0.96, p=0.004) decreased more in the intervention than control communities. ConclusionCommunity-based prevention designed to strengthen parental monitoring and participation in organized sports may confer some protection against adolescent substance use.

Ryōsai-kembo, Liberal Education and Maternal Feminism under Fascism: Women and Sport in Modern Japan

Following the Second World War, Japanese women have gained greater equality in terms of their legal status, career opportunities and general personal freedom. However, cultural inequalities remain, and this is no less so than in sport. Access to job opportunities in the sports media, for example, has been restricted, while participation in sport overall and in some sports in particular has been subject to sexist attitudes. The development of women's sport in Japan has been uneven. Women's physical education was first introduced after the 1895 Sino-Japanese War to support the Japanese State's notions of ‘ryōsai-kembo’, Liberal Education and Maternal Feminism. During the Taisho era, prior to the Second World War, women achieved a measure of freedom in sport through the development of ‘liberal education’ in which the physical education curriculum was modernized by Western-influenced educationalists. During the war, however, this was replaced by a militaristic sports curriculum. In wartime Japan, feminism was influenced by a grass-roots fascism that promoted the idea of ‘the nation’, which justified the central existence of the Emperor and emphasized the importance of a physically robust maternity. Women's physical education and sports has therefore followed at least three phases: the first was based on the idea of ryōsai-kembo and made possible the first stage of secondary education for women (after the Sino Japanese War, 1894–95); the second, the Taisho era (1912–26) of ‘liberal education’, produced many haikara (high-collar; middle class) women and increased their participation in organized competitive sports. The third phase that witnessed the era of maternal feminism and the resurrection of traditional budo in which the importance of physical education for women was emphasized more than ever (especially 1936–45). The end of the Second World War became the starting point for a new era of women's education. In most narratives of Japanese women in sport, the gains made in wartime Japan were seen in post-war Japan as being evil and so, the previously improved status of women in sport is as seen has having reverted to its traditional, conservative condition. This paper argues that the histories of the concepts of ‘ryōsai-kembo’ and ‘haikara’ reflect the wider social history of Japan. Both concepts possessed similar characteristics, highlighting both change and continuity through the modern period. It is important to examine the context in which these concepts first appeared as an ‘invented tradition’. In particular the inheritance of pre-war culture before the nationalization and modernization of the nation state is especially relevant.

Perspectives on the meaning of children’s sport for adulthood

This article is about what participation in organized sport in childhood and youth means for growing up and how it influences values in adulthood. In 2000 the results of interviews with parents and children relating to football and golf were presented. Those results showed that learning processes differ between football and golf: socialization in football corresponds to the methods and aims of child rearing in lower social strata and in golf with child rearing in higher social strata. Four of the children from the earlier study have now been interviewed. Today these are young adults aged 25-29. The results indicate that the young adults – the former footballers and golfers – have different patterns of values about learning and childrearing. The conclusion is that participating in organized sports as a child or young person contributes to a feeling of social belonging and to the construction of a social identity. For the footballers it is rather an identity close to the working and lower middle classes and for the golfers an identity close to the upper middle class. The conclusion is, furthermore, that children’s sport contributes to the reproduction of differences between social strata in society.

Organized youth sport as a predictor of physical activity in adulthood

The aim of this study was to examine whether early and sustained organized youth sport during childhood and adolescence predicts the frequency of leisure-time physical activity (PA) at age 23 years. A 10-year longitudinal study of 630 adolescents was conducted. Data were collected from these participants eight times from the ages of 13 to 23 years and were analyzed by analysis of variance and regression. There was a high degree of consistency in participation in organized youth sport in terms of reporting to be a member of a sports club, especially from age 13 to 16 years. The correlation coefficients tended to be higher among males and decreased over time both in females and males. The age at becoming a member in organized sport and duration of participation in organized youth sports during adolescence predicted 9% of the variance of young adult PA. The correlations were higher in males than in females, but these differences were not significant. Organized youth sports during childhood and adolescence was positively related to frequency of leisure-time PA in young adulthood. Joining organized youth sports at an early age and continuing through adolescence appear to increase the likelihood for a physically active lifestyle in young adulthood.

Sustained participation in youth sport decreases metabolic syndrome in adulthood

to explore the effect of organized youth sport on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood. Longitudinal study data from the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study. A total of 1493 males (n=704) and females (n=789) aged 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 years were randomly selected from five university towns and their rural surroundings in 1980. They were followed up for 21 years. In 2001 they were 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 and 39 years old. Youth sports participation data (participation in sport-club training and competitions) were assessed in 1980 and 1983 using a self-report questionnaire completed in connection with a medical examination. Participants were divided into athletes and non-athletes at each measurement point, and then classified into four groups: Persistent athlete, Starter, Leaver and Non-athlete. A mean score of youth sport was assessed by calculating the average of four consecutive measurements (1980-1989). MetS risk in 2001 was defined as a categorical variable based on the guidelines of the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR) and as a continuous MetS-score variable by summing the z-scores of individual metabolic variables. In males and females, intense participation in youth sports over 3 years was inversely and significantly associated with clustered MetS score and prevalence of MetS defined by EGIR in adulthood (P<0.05). The association remained significant after adjustment for age, baseline clustered MetS score, smoking and total caloric intake and after additional adjustments for adult leisure-time physical activity. Starters during 3 years were less likely to have MetS than non-athletes. Leavers were at a higher risk for MetS than persistent athletes. These associations were attenuated in males by adjustment for all potential confounders. Similar associations were found using EGIR MetS as an outcome. Sustained participation in organized sport lasting at least 3 years in youth is associated with reduced risk for developing MetS in adulthood.

Contribution of Athletic Identity to Child and Adolescent Physical Activity

Identity theorists maintain that domain-specific self-concepts help explain the differential investment of people's time and effort in various activities. This study examined the contribution of athletic identity and three key demographic variables to physical activity and sports team participation. Students in Grades 4-5 (n=391, mean age 9.9 years, range 8-13 years, collected in 2003) and Grades 7-8 (n=948, mean age 13.6 years, range 11-15 years, collected in 2002 and 2006) completed the 40-item Athletic Identity Questionnaire, which measures self-perceptions of athletic appearance; competence; importance of physical activity and sports; and encouragement for activity from parents, teachers, and friends. Hierarchic multiple regression analyses in 2008 assessed the effects of athletic identity, race/ethnicity group, gender, and overweight status on 7-day moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and organized sport team participation in each age group. In children and adolescents, the global score of athletic identity was independently, positively related to MVPA (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively) and team participation (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively), after controlling for demographic variables. More variance in MVPA was explained in children (23%) than in adolescents (5%), in contrast to team sports (5% in children, 15% in adolescents). In the subscale analyses, positive relationships for appearance, competence, importance, and parental encouragement persisted independent of demographic factors. Results support the role of athletic self-concept in promoting physical activity and organized sport participation in children and adolescents.