title: Sports participation and parent-reported health-related quality of life in children: longitudinal associations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the longitudinal association between sports participation and parent-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study that used data drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children in waves 3 (2008) and 4 (2010). Participants were a nationally representative sample of 4042 Australian children ages 8.25 (SD = 0.44) years at baseline and followed-up 24 months later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After we adjusted for multiple covariates, children who continued to participate in sports between the ages of 8 and 10 years had greater parent-reported HRQOL at age 10 (Eta2 = .02) compared with children who did not participate in sports (P ≤ .001), children who commenced participation after 8 years of age (P = .004), and children who dropped out of sports before reaching 10 years of age (P = .04). Children who participated in both team and individual sports (P = .02) or team sports alone (P = .04) had greater HRQOL compared with children who participated in individual sports alone (Eta2 = .01). The benefits of sports participation were strongest for girls (P < .05; Eta2 = .003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children's participation in developmentally appropriate team sports helps to protect HRQOL and should be encouraged at an early age and maintained for as long as possible.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: stvella@uow.edu.au.
authors.forename: Stewart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Vella
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Dylan P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Cliff
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Initiatives, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Okely
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*