title: Do youth sports prevent pediatric obesity? A systematic review and commentary.
abstract: Sport is a promising setting for obesity prevention among youth, but little is known about whether it prevents obesity. We reviewed research comparing sport participants with nonparticipants on weight status, physical activity, and diet. Among 19 studies, we found no clear pattern of association between body weight and sport participation. Among 17 studies, we found that sport participants are more physically active than those who do not participate. We found seven studies that compared the diet of sport participants with non-participants. These studies reported that youth involved in sport were more likely to consume fruits, vegetables, and milk, and also more likely to eat fast food and drink sugar-sweetened beverages and consume more calories overall. It is unclear from these results whether sports programs, as currently offered, protect youth from becoming overweight or obese. Additional research may foster understanding about how sport, and youth sport settings, can help promote energy balance and healthy body weight.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. tfnelson@umn.edu
authors.forename: Toben F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Stovitz
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: LaVoi
authors.forename: Katherine W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013177:Sports
references.citation: J Sports Sci. 2000 Sep;18(9):685-93
references.pmid: 11043894
references.citation: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Mar;39(3):403-9
references.pmid: 17473765
references.citation: Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009 Oct;19(5):646-54
references.pmid: 18694430
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2009 Oct;12(10):1767-74
references.pmid: 19105866
references.citation: Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Dec;32 Suppl 6:S19-27
references.pmid: 19079276
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2008 Jun;121(6):e1604-14
references.pmid: 18519465
references.citation: Am J Hum Biol. 2004 Nov-Dec;16(6):639-47
references.pmid: 15495234
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008 Mar;162(3):232-7
references.pmid: 18316660
references.citation: JAMA. 2007 Jan 24;297(4):363-4
references.pmid: 17244832
references.citation: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000 Mar;54 Suppl 1:S16-20
references.pmid: 10805033
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2001 Jun;155(6):711-7
references.pmid: 11386963
references.citation: Br J Sports Med. 1998 Mar;32(1):53-7
references.pmid: 9562165
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 1996 Nov;86(11):1577-81
references.pmid: 8916523
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2006 Oct;39(4):523-9
references.pmid: 16982387
references.citation: Am J Prev Med. 2003 Jan;24(1):22-8
references.pmid: 12554020
references.citation: J Sch Health. 2007 Oct;77(8):435-63
references.pmid: 17908102
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Jul;70(1):123S-5S
references.pmid: 10419414
references.citation: MMWR Surveill Summ. 2008 Jun 6;57(4):1-131
references.pmid: 18528314
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2011 Jun;127(6):1182-9
references.pmid: 21624882
references.citation: J Adolesc. 2009 Oct;32(5):1089-103
references.pmid: 19345989
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2006 Jun;38(6):696-703
references.pmid: 16730598
references.citation: J Sch Health. 2003 Mar;73(3):113-20
references.pmid: 12677730
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000 Sep;154(9):904-11
references.pmid: 10980794
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011 Apr;165(4):294-9
references.pmid: 21135319
references.citation: Prev Med. 2002 Jan;34(1):82-9
references.pmid: 11749100
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2006 Dec;118(6):e1721-33
references.pmid: 17142497
references.citation: Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Nov;33(11):1219-26
references.pmid: 19721447
references.citation: Prev Med. 1997 Mar-Apr;26(2):257-63
references.pmid: 9085396
references.citation: J Sch Health. 2005 Jan;75(1):25-30
references.pmid: 15776877
references.citation: Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep;8(3):230-40
references.pmid: 9738133
references.citation: J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2000 Mar;30(3):253-8
references.pmid: 10749407
references.citation: J Sports Sci. 2008 Sep;26(11):1209-17
references.pmid: 18645734
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 May;106(5):709-17
references.pmid: 16647329
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2009 Nov;45(5):517-24
references.pmid: 19837359
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Apr;108(4):706-9
references.pmid: 18375230
references.citation: Obes Res. 2003 Mar;11(3):434-41
references.pmid: 12634442
references.citation: Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2002 Jun;12(3):179-85
references.pmid: 12135451
references.citation: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Feb;41(2):344-50
references.pmid: 19127191
references.citation: J Sch Health. 2010 Aug;80(8):399-410
references.pmid: 20618623
references.citation: J Nutr Educ Behav. 2009 Mar-Apr;41(2):79-86
references.pmid: 19304252
references.citation: J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2011 Mar;51(1):121-7
references.pmid: 21297571
references.citation: Sports Med. 2010 Dec 1;40(12):1019-35
references.pmid: 21058749
references.citation: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Nov;40(11):1997-2012
references.pmid: 19430330
references.citation: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008 Oct;16(10):2336-41
references.pmid: 18719630
references.citation: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Jan;14(1):97-105
references.pmid: 16493127
references.citation: J Adolesc Health. 2009 Mar;44(3):268-74
references.pmid: 19237113
references.citation: Scand J Public Health. 2009 Nov;37(8):793-800
references.pmid: 19717572
references.citation: Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2008 May;20(2):198-210
references.pmid: 18579900
references.citation: Nutrition. 2010 Feb;26(2):192-200
references.pmid: 19577429
references.citation: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Dec;25(12):1823-33
references.pmid: 11781764
references.citation: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003 Aug;157(8):816-20
references.pmid: 12912789
references.citation: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007 Sep;39(9):1493-500
references.pmid: 17805079
references.citation: Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010 Mar;81(1):7-16
references.pmid: 20387394
references.citation: Nutr Rev. 2009 Mar;67(3):155-66
references.pmid: 19239630
references.citation: J Phys Act Health. 2009 Jan;6(1):105-11
references.pmid: 19211964
references.citation: JAMA. 2009 May 27;301(20):2111-9
references.pmid: 19470988
references.citation: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Jun;25(6):822-9
references.pmid: 11439296