title: Sports practice among adolescents with chronic health conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the level of sports practice between adolescents with chronic health conditions (CHCs) and control peers and to examine the reasons given by adolescents with CHCs for not practicing any sports in comparison with the control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  School survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postmandatory schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 6790 students (3275 females) aged 16 to 20 years, grouped as adolescents with CHCs (355 females, 354 males) and control peers (2920 females, 3161 males).
  
  
  METHODS
  Chronic health condition was defined using a noncategorical approach including adolescents with a chronic disease and/or a physical handicap.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sports practice, barriers to sports practice among individuals not practicing any sports, and biological, psychological, socioeducative, and physical activity characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males with CHCs were less likely than control males to practice sports, whereas no significant difference was observed for females. Chronically ill youth were significantly more likely to report having a CHC as a barrier for not practicing sports. However, the most frequently reported barrier was preference for other activities for males with CHCs and lack of time for control males and for females with and without CHCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Having a CHC seems to influence sports practice among males but not females. We recommend that practitioners dealing with adolescents remember to take into account sports practice as part of the care of young patients with CHCs.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Adolescent Health, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pittet
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berchtold
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akré
authors.forename: Pierre-André
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.forename: Joan-Carles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Surís
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D055809:Illness Behavior; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D012737:Sex Factors; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D055815:Young Adult