News & Studies

For the first time, Minneapolis-St. Paul is the healthiest, fittest metropolitan area in the United States, according to the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) annual American Fitness Index^TM (AFI).

With the support of 40 sports and health organizations, including MomsTeam.com, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has issued a C+ grade on youth sports safety for 2010, reporting that 48 young athletes died since the beginning of the year, with sudden cardiac arrest accounting for nearly half of those deaths, brain injury (concussion) for three, heat illness three, and exertional sickling (a result of sickle cell trait) one. Approximately 8,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each day for sports-related injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high school athletes suffer 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.

ACL injury prevention programs for female athletes such as the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program have value, despite lingering doubts about their effectiveness raised in a new study. While there is evidence that injury prevention programs may reduce the risk of some knee injuries, additional research in necessary, said the study author.

Static stretching improves flexibility over resistance training, according to conventional wisdom, but a new study suggests that strength training may work just as well, if not better, in increasing an athlete's flexibility.

Middle-school students with higher levels of physical fitness fared better on standardized tests than students who were less fit., according to new research. The study suggests that cutting physical education classes to focus on academics might be counterproductive.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issues updated water safety and drowning prevention advice for parents which drops opposition to early swimming lessons for infants and toddlers and highlights risks of inflatable pools, and body entrapment and hair entanglement in pool drains.

The PPE Campaign and Coalition for Youth Sports Health and Safety will promote the widespread adoption and consistent use of an updated preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) form for U.S. student-athletes. The coalition counts as founding partners leading medical organizations, sports governing bodies and other groups, including MomsTeam.

STOP Sports Injuries campaign announced to help educate athletes, parents, trainers, coaches and healthcare providers about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries, the necessary steps to help reverse the trend and the need to keep young athletes healthy.

As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the catastrophic injuries and illnesses in youth sports, the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) convened a summit of an alliance of 29 other leading health care and sports organizations in Sacramento, California to raise awareness about youth sports safety and promote legislation to improve health care for young athletes.

Strength training during childhood and adolescence can improve strength by 30-50 percent, increase bone density,  and self-esteem and reduced risk of coronary heart disease, childhood obesity, says a new study.