Contribution of youth sport participation to physical activity levels and cardiovascular disease risk factors in 5-year-old to 14-year-old children: a study protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for 18 million deaths per year, disproportionately burdens under-represented racial and ethnic groups, and has economic costs greater than any other health condition. Participation in youth sport may be an effective strategy to improve CVD-related risk factors but studies of youth sport participation have shown mixed results for improving health outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to examine how participation in youth sport contributes to physical activity levels and CVD risk factors in children aged 5-14 years old. A secondary objective is to determine if outcomes are different in racial and ethnic groups. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The search will encompass studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese between January 1995 and April 2024, including five databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and SPORTDiscus). Studies will be included if they are experimental or observational studies, conducted in youths of any health background and assess the relationship of sport participation to physical activity levels or CVD risk factors. Studies must report on at least one of the following outcomes: (1) physical activity levels, (2) blood pressure, (3) lipid fractions, (4) body mass index (5) central adiposity, (6) systemic inflammation and (7) glucose levels/insulin resistance. Study quality will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias version 1 tool. Narrative descriptions and summary tables will be created to describe studies, results and methodological quality and be synthesised by subsets of studies based on study design and outcomes. In the systematic review, we will categorise the included studies into two subgroups (ie, observational studies, experimental studies) and meta-analyse them separately prior to exploring sources of heterogeneity. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication and presentation at conferences relevant to this field. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023427219.

Benefits of Meeting the Healthy People 2030 Youth Sports Participation Target.

INTRODUCTION: Healthy People 2030, a U.S. government health initiative, has indicated that increasing youth sports participation to 63.3% is a priority in the U.S. This study quantified the health and economic value of achieving this target. METHODS: An agent-based model developed in 2023 represents each person aged 6-17 years in the U.S. On each simulated day, agents can participate in sports that affect their metabolic and mental health in the model. Each agent can develop different physical and mental health outcomes, associated with direct and indirect costs. RESULTS: Increasing the proportion of youth participating in sports from the most recent participation levels (50.7%) to the Healthy People 2030 target (63.3%) could reduce overweight/obesity prevalence by 3.37% (95% CI=3.35%, 3.39%), resulting in 1.71 million fewer cases of overweight/obesity (95% CI=1.64, 1.77 million). This could avert 352,000 (95% CI=336,200, 367,500) cases of weight-related diseases and gain 1.86 million (95% CI=1.86, 1.87 million) quality-adjusted life years, saving $22.55 billion (95% CI=$22.46, $22.63 billion) in direct medical costs and $25.43 billion (95% CI= $25.25, $25.61 billion) in productivity losses. This would also reduce depression/anxiety symptoms, saving $3.61 billion (95% CI=$3.58, $3.63 billion) in direct medical costs and $28.38 billion (95% CI=$28.20, $28.56 billion) in productivity losses. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that achieving the Healthy People 2030 objective could save third-party payers, businesses, and society billions of dollars for each cohort of persons aged 6-17 years, savings that would continue to repeat with each new cohort. This suggests that even if a substantial amount is invested toward this objective, such investments could pay for themselves.

The Homeless World Cup through storytelling: The narratives of Street Soccer players from Scotland and the USA.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper was to explore: (a) What stories do the Street Soccer players draw upon to construct meaning around their experiences of trauma, social exclusion, and homelessness? and (b) What stories are linked to the subjective sport programming experience and resulting future orientations? DESIGN: A longitudinal narrative approach was adopted with semi-structured interviews conducted with players from Scotland and the United States (n = 16, 7 female, 9 male, M age = 27.5) across three time points. Interviews were also conducted with significant others (n = 13) at time point three. All data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis and represented in creative non-fiction approaches through three composite narratives. RESULTS: These narratives depicted visceral accounts of complex and developmental trauma, along with consequential experiences that unfolded before, during, and after the Homeless World Cup. While both preparing for and attending the event, players recalled concurrent feelings of anxiety and pride which manifested in various resilient and maladaptive coping behaviors. As the stories progressed, players battled a post event crash by engaging in support seeking and/or self-destructive behaviors before positive implications of the Homeless World Cup materialized. CONCLUSIONS: Through creative narrative approaches, this study presents novel and engaging accounts of players' experiences before, during, and after the event. We also identify potential safeguarding concerns that can be addressed through trauma-informed practices.

Sport-based youth development interventions in the United States: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The growing number of sport-based youth development interventions provide a potential avenue for integrating sport meaningfully into the U.S. public health agenda. However, efficacy and quality must be reliably established prior to widespread implementation. METHODS: A comprehensive search of databases, peer-reviewed journals, published reviews, and both published and unpublished documents yielded 10,077 distinct records. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening using 6 criteria, resulted in 56 distinct studies (coalescing into 10 sport-based youth development intervention types) included in the synthesis. These studies were then independently assessed and critically appraised. RESULTS: Limited efficacy data were identified, with the quality of methods and evidence largely classified as weak. Processes likely to contribute to the outcomes of sport-based youth development interventions were identified (e.g., predictors of ongoing engagement, alignment between target population and intervention, intervention design), although more rigorous research is needed on these and other processes. Physical health outcomes were only studied in 3 of the 10 intervention types. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence base does not yet warrant wide-scale implementation of sport-based youth development interventions for public health goals within the U. S., although there is promising research that identifies areas for further exploration.