Sports participation among Portuguese youth 10 to 18 years.
BACKGROUND
The present study considered age- and sex-associated variation in sports participation (SP) in Portuguese youth.


METHODS
A national 12,568 students, 10-18 years, was surveyed. Two items of the Baecke et al. (1982) questionnaire that deal with SP were considered. Logistic regression and factorial ANOVA were used.


RESULTS
The prevalence of SP is greater in males than females. Mean sport scores increased in both sexes from 10-18 years. Soccer was the most practiced sport among males, while swimming and soccer were the most practiced sports among females. Males participated in SP > 4 hours per week compared to 1-2 hours per week in females. High intensity sports were more prevalent among males, while sports of mid-level intensity were more prevalent among females. The majority of youth participate in sport more than 9 months of the year.


CONCLUSIONS
SP is an important component of physical activity among Portuguese youth and has a relatively stable prevalence between 10-18 years.
Seabra
André F
AF
Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Mendonça
Denisa M
DM
Thomis
Martine A
MA
Malina
Robert M
RM
Maia
José A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D011174:Portugal; D015995:Prevalence; D012916:Soccer; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013550:Swimming