1-200 - Youth Sports - A Risky Game? Examining Variations in Youth Health Related Attitudes and Behaviors by Sport Type

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Though consistent findings show positive influence of sports participation on youth development, several studies have also indicated some potential deleterious influences on youth functioning; e.g., alcohol, delinquency, disordered eating. Aligned with Developmental Systems theory, these mixed findings are likely linked to variations in the sport setting. Each sport type (e.g., football or tennis) is defined by a distinct set of peers, behaviors, rules, and cultural scripts that can lead to sport-specific variations in health risks and benefits. The proposed symposium discusses original research that examines sport-specific participation and components of adolescent functioning; e.g., substance use; health habits, body image/disordered eating, teen pregnancy. The session takes a first step to identify key processes by which sports contexts influence youth development. The first presentation examines longitudinal relations between sports participation and substance use persistence through 4 years post-high-school, identifying sport types associated with higher risk. The second presentation uses latent profile analysis to examine sport-specific differences in the co-occurrence of healthy habits/behaviors; e.g., substance use, food/beverage consumption, physical activity, sleep. The third presentation focuses on links between adolescent girls’ sports participation, body image, and bodily experiences related to participation in aesthetic and non-aesthetic sport types. Collectively, the presentations involve representative samples of diverse adolescents across two countries. Various sports and developmental outcomes are considered, which provides insight into differences and commonalities across contexts and effects. These studies deepen understanding of how the unique contextual processes within different sport contexts can promote or discourage healthy development, thereby informing future policy and practice.

Sub Unit

• Health, Growth, Injury

Chair

• Nicole Zarrett, University of South Carolina

Discussant

• Don Sabo, D’Youville College

Individual Presentations

• Competitive sports participation and substance use among young adults: Extending past research with a longitudinal national sample - Presenting Author: Philip Veliz, University of Michigan; Deborah Kloska, University of Michigan; Megan E. Patrick, University of Michigan; John E Schulenberg, Univ of Michigan

• Is youth sports participation related to healthy or risky behavioral profiles? Disentangling relations by sport type - Presenting Author: Nicole Zarrett, University of South Carolina; Deborah Kloska, University of Michigan; Megan E. Patrick, University of Michigan; John E Schulenberg, Univ of Michigan

• Physical or Visual: How do Girls Experience their Bodies during Sports and Non-Sport Activities? - Presenting Author: Bree D. Abbott, Murdoch University; Bonnie L. Barber, Griffith University