BACKGROUND There are specific guidelines regarding the level of physical activity (PA) required to provide health benefits. However, the research underpinning these PA guidelines does not address the element of social health. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence about the levels or types of PA associated specifically with psychological health. This paper first presents the results of a s...

BACKGROUND Many children are not physically active enough for a health benefit. One avenue of physical activity is modified sport programs, designed as an introduction to sport for young children. This longitudinal study identified trends in participation among children aged 4-12 years. Outcomes included continuation in the modified sports program, withdrawal from the program or transition to c...

The goal of this study was to describe patterns in the dynamics of families of talented junior athletes throughout their development. Parents, athletes, and siblings from four families were interviewed. The interviews focused on how family members adapted to the motivation, effort, and resource demands that often constrain the development of talent in sport. The results permitted the identifica...

1. A globalizing sports economy 1.1 The Economic Significance of Sport 1.2 From Sport Participation to Global Sport Markets 1.3 Sports and Economic (Under-) Development 2. Sports economics: the economic determinants and impact of sport activities 2.1. The economic determinants of sport performances 2.2. The economic impact of sports megaevents 2.3. The economic theory of professional team sport...

BACKGROUND Participation in sport can contribute to health-enhancing levels of leisure-time physical activity. There are recent reports that participation in sport in Australia is decreasing. However, these studies are limited to ages 15 years and over. METHODS This study integrates sports club membership data from five popular team sports and investigates sport participation across the lifes...

Sport participation has been associated with lower rates of chronic diseases when compared to other forms of physical activity (PA) among women. However, we do not know if this relationship holds true for men. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sport participation and men’s health and chronic diseases in the USA. This study was a secondary data analysis of the 201...

Based on self-determination theory, the present study aimed to test the hypothesis that importance ratings of life aspirations would mediate the effects of participation in recreational and competitive sport on psychological well-being. In addition, the effects of sport participation on psychological well-being were hypothesized to indicate that, compared with competitive athletes, recreational...

CONTEXT There is increased growth in sports participation across the globe. Sports specialization patterns, which include year-round training, participation on multiple teams of the same sport, and focused participation in a single sport at a young age, are at high levels. The need for this type of early specialized training in young athletes is currently under debate. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION No...

BACKGROUND Participation in sport and physical activity is reported to decline during adolescence, particularly for females. However we do not have a clear understanding of changes in the context (i.e., modes and settings) of participation throughout adolescence. This study investigated longitudinal changes in physical activity participation and the specific modes and settings of physical activ...