MAKING THE CASE FOR YOUTH SPORTS GIRLS AND SPORTS

Transcription

1 MAKING THE CASE FOR YOUTH SPORTS GIRLS AND SPORTS

2 IMPORTANT TRENDS Girls are participating in sports at a significantly higher rate than before Title IX was enacted in Currently, 1 in 3 girls are active through sports participation. 1 However, one third of girls barely meet minimal physical activity standards and the remaining third are completely sedentary. Girls are twice as likely to drop out of sports as boys. 2 o Girls drop out of sports at younger ages. 3 KEY FACTS AND STATISTICS Education Studies 4 report a number of encouraging academic findings including: Girls who participate in sports are more likely to achieve academic success than those who do not play sports. Female high school athletes expressed a greater interest in graduating from both high school and college. Female athletes from ethnic minority groups reported better school grades and greater involvement in extra-curricular activities than non-athletes, and in some cases are considerably less likely to drop-out from school. Sports participation can help undermine traditional gender stereotyping in terms of academic aptitude, by demonstrating an association between girls engagement in sports and improved performance in science and math. Violence and Gang Involvement For, girls, being on a sports team and being physical active is significantly associated with decreased violent behavior, carrying a weapon, and being in a gang. 5 Physical Health Evidence suggests a positive relationship between physical activity and a host of factors affecting girls physical health, including diabetes, blood pressure and the ability to use fat for energy iv. Second, physical activity could reduce the risk of chronic diseases in later life. 6 Regular activity beginning in childhood helps to improve bone health, thus preventing osteoporosis, which predominantly affects females. 7

3 Obesity is particularly prevalent in girls from highly urbanized areas, some ethnic minorities and the disabled. 8 The greater the level of physical activity among high school girls, the greater the impact on healthy body mass indices. Of high school girls who played on three or more athletic teams, 80% had a healthy BMI compared to 75% of moderately involved athletes and 60% of non-athletes. 9 Mental Health Moderate levels of exercise and/or sports activity helped protect girls and women against depression. 10 Female high school/college athletes were less likely to consider, plan, or attempt suicide. 11 Adolescent females tend to have higher self-esteem than non-participant females. 12 Physical activities may help them develop a sense of ownership of their bodies and access the types of activity experiences traditionally enjoyed by boys. 13 Some female athletes report having a stronger sense of identity and selfdirection. 14 Sex and Reproductive Health Female athletes were less likely to have unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, or sex under the influence of alcohol/drugs. 15 Although there is a shortage of research in this area, early studies conducted in the US have found that adolescent girls who participate in sports tend to become sexually active later in life, have fewer partners, and, when sexually active, make greater use of contraception than non-sporting girls. 16 Drugs Female athletes who participated on one or two school or community sports teams were significantly less likely to smoke regularly than female non-athletes. Girls on three or more teams were even less likely to smoke regularly. 17 Two nationwide studies found that female school or community athletes were significantly less likely to use marijuana, cocaine, opiates, tranquilizers, prescription drugs, or club drugs like ecstasy or GHB. 18

4 The Center for Research on Women and Girls in Sports 19 lists the following as barriers girls face when participating in sports: Interpersonal - Due to cultural traditions or stereotypes and gender appropriate activities, many girls experience low family support for being physically active. Psychological Having little experience playing sports successfully and connecting their confidence to their body image, many girls are not confident in their athletic ability and have low physical self-efficacy. Time-based - Girls are many times responsible for chores and babysitting younger siblings making it difficult to complete their homework and attend practice or games after school. 1 National Federation of State high School Association. (2007) NFHS High school athletics participation survey. 2 United States Surgeon General. (1996). Physical Activity and Health: US Surgeon General s Report. 3 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000a). Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity. 4 Sabo, D., Melnick, M., Vanfossen, B. (1989) The Women s Sports Foundation Report: minorities in sports. East Meadow, US: Women s Sports Foundation; Marsh, H. and Kleitman, S. (2003) School Athletic Participation: mostly gain with little pain. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25, pp ; Fejgin, N. (1994) Participation in High School Competitive Sports: a subversion of school mission or contribution to academic goals? Sociology of Sport Journal, 11, pp Romo, N., Dupont-Reyes, M., Fry,D., & Davidson, L..(2013). The Effect of Regular Exercise on Exposure to Violence in Inner City Youth. Paper Presentation. Retrieved from: 6 Sabo, D., Miller, K., Melnick, M. and Heywood, L. (2004) Her Life Depends On It: sport, physical activity and the health and well-being of American girls. East Meadow, US: Women s Sports Foundation. Deprés, J.-P., Bouchard, C. and Malina, R. (1990) Physical Activity and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors during Childhood and Adolescence. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 18, pp Kannus, P. (1999) Preventing Osteoporosis, Falls and Fractures among Elderly People. British Medical Journal, 318, pp Dietz, W. and Gortmaker, S. (1984) Factors Within the Physical Environment Associated with Childhood Obesity.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 39, pp ; King, A. and Tribble, D. (1990) The Role of Exercise in Weight Regulation in Non athletes. Sports medicine, 11(5), pp ; Dietz, W. (1995) Childhood Obesity. In L. Cheung and J. Richmond (eds), Child Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity. Champaign, US: Human Kinetics. 9 Sabo, D., & Velez, P. (2008). Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America. Eisenhower Park, NY: Women s Sports Foundation. 10 Sanders, C. E., Field, T. M., Diego, M., & Kaplan, M. (2000). Moderate involvement in sports is related to lower depression levels in adolescents. Adolescence 35 (140), ; McKercher, C. M., Schmidt, M. D., Sanderson, K. A., Patton, G. C., Dwyer, T., & Venn, A. J. (2009). Physical activity and depression in young adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 36, Brown, D. R., & Blanton, C. J. (2002). Physical activity, sports participation, and suicidal behavior among college students. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 34 (7), : Brown, D. R., Galuska, D. A., Zhang, J., Eaton, D. K., Fulton, J. E., Lowry, R., & Maynard, L. M. (2007). Physical activity, sport participation, and suicidal behavior: U.S. high school students. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 39, ; Sabo, D., Miller, K. E., Melnick, M. J., Farrell,

5 M. P., & Barnes, G. M. (2005). High school athletic participation and adolescent suicide: A nationwide study. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 40, Keane, S.H. (2004). Self-silencing behavior among female high school athletes and non-athletes. Osteoporosis International, 7(4), Thompson, S. (1995) Going All the Way: teenage girls tales of sex, romance, and pregnancy. New York, US:Hill and Wang. 14 Talbot, M. (1989) Being Herself through Sport. In J. Long (ed), Leisure, Health and Well Being. Eastbourne, UK: Leisure Studies Association. 15 Lehman, S. J., & Koerner, S. S. (2004). Adolescent women s sports involvement and sexual behavior/health: A process-level investigation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 33 (5), ; Miller, K. E., Barnes, G. M., Melnick, M. J., Sabo, D., & Farrell, M. P. (2002). Gender and racial/ethnic differences in predicting adolescent sexual risk: Athletic participation vs. exercise. Journal of Health & Social Behavior 43, Sabo, D., Miller, K. and Farrell, M., Barnes, G. and Melnick, M. (1998) The Women s Sports Foundation Report: sport and teen pregnancy. East Meadow, US: Women s Sports Foundation; Sabo, D., Miller, K., Farrell, M., Melnick, M. and Barnes, G. (1999) High School Athletic Participation, Sexual Behavior and Adolescent Pregnancy: a regional study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 25(3), pp Melnick, M.J., Miller, K.E., Sabo, D., Farrell, M.P., and Barnes, G.M. (2001). Tobacco use among high school athletes and nonathletes: Results of the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Adolescence, 36: Ford, J. A. (2008). Nonmedical prescription drug use among college students: A comparison between athletes and nonathletes. Journal of American College Health 57 (2), : Miller, K.E., Sabo, D., Melnick, J.J., Farrell, M.P., and Barnes, G.M. (2000). The Women s Sports Foundation Report: Health Risks and the Teen Athlete. East Meadow, NY: Women s Sports Foundation. Pate, R.R., Trost, S.G., Levin, S., and Dowda, M. (2000). Sports participation and healthrelated behaviors among U.S. youth. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 154, : Pate, R.R., Trost, S.G., Levin, S., and Dowda, M. (2000). Sports participation and health-related behaviors among U.S. youth. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 154, Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport. (2007). Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidencebased Multidisciplinary Approach. University of Minnesota.