Parents who believe that their kids are getting enough physical exercise just from playing organized sports may be in for a surprise.
A new study1 finds that, though participation in youth sports contributes to overall physical activity, less than one fourth of youth soccer, baseball and softball players studied obtained the sixty minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical exercise (MVPA) during sports practices that U.S. guidelines [1] recommend.2
The study concluded that "youth sports practices are making a less-than-optimal contribution to the public health goals of increasing physical activity and preventing childhood obesity."
Researchers from San Diego State University monitored 200 kids ages 7 to 14 during soccer, baseball and softball practices using accelerometers to track their activity levels. They found a lot less actual moving around during practices than some parents might have expected:
On average, players were inactive for 30 minutes during each practice, which ranged in length from 40 to 130 minutes for soccer and 35 to 217 minutes for baseball or softball. The findings were consistent with a previous study based on direct observation finding that 43% of youth sports practice was spent being inactive.
"There clearly are opportunities to increase physical activity in youth sports," wrote Desiree Leek of San Diego State University and the University of California, and one of the study's co-authors. But "it appears that youth sports practices are making a less-than-optimal contribution to the public health goals of increasing physical activity and preventing childhood obesity."
The study, "Physical Activity During Youth Sports Practices," will be published in the April 2011 edition of the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
The researchers offered several recommendations on ways to increase physical activity during practices, including:
The study findings reveal a disconnect between the amount of physical exercise parents think their children are getting from organized sports and the amount they are actually exercising. Active Kids Canada, for instance, found that only 12 percent of Canadian youth were meeting that country's 90 minute guideline, even though three-quarters were participating in organized sports. Yet 88 percent of Ontario parents in another survey believed that their school-age children were "active."'
In an editorial accompanying the study, Russell Pate and Dr. Jennifer O'Neil of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina said the study showed the "need to learn ways in which the doses of physical activity provided during youth sports and activity programs can be most effectively increased by modifying the manner in which the practices and contests are conducted ... [such as] by changes in instructional practices that produce greater emphasis on keeping youth active while they learn individual skills and team strategies."
Recognizing that many youth sports programs are run by volunteer coaches with little or no formal coaching training, they conceded that finding practical ways for these adult leaders to increase physical activity levels would pose a "special challenge."
Which was not to say, they said, that parents should in any way be discouraged from involving children in well-organized and properly supervised sports. But, in doing so, they said, parents need to know that:
The bottom line for parents: "Organized sports needs to be an add-on, not a replacement for other activity," advises Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer for Active Kids Canada.3
Sources:
1. Leek D, Carlson J, Cain K, Henrichon S, Rosenberg D, Patrick K, Sallis J. "Physical Activity During Youth Sports Practices," Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (April 2011)(published online December 6, 2010).
2. Physical activity guidelines for Americans [6]. US Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter3.aspx [6])(accessed December 8, 2010).
3. "Few kids get enough exercise by playing sports, study finds; Only 25 per cent get sufficient daily activity during team practices, researchers say." Toronto Star (December 7, 2010); Living Section, page E8.
4. National Council of Youth Sports. "Report on Trends and Participation in Organized Youth Sports, Stuart, FL; National Council of Youth Sports; 2008.
5. Fellmeth L. "High school sports participation tops 7.6 million, sets record. National Federation of State High School Associations. Website: http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4208 [7]. Published September 8, 2010. Accessed December 8, 2010.
4. Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen S, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Youth risk behavior surveillance - United States, 2009. MMWR Surveill Summ, 2010; 59(5); 1-142.
Posted December 8, 2010
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/node/3241
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/node/486
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/node/1474
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/node/3112
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/node/1467
[6] http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter3.aspx
[7] http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4208
[8] https://www.momsteam.com/team-parents/benefits-of-games-based-approach-to-teaching-sports
[9] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/childs-physical-activity-level-may-predict-future-heart-health
[10] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/physical-activity-guidelines-active-children-adolescents