Pursuing competitive sports or dropping out: A longitudinal study on young athletes' career transitions

The relative age effect (RAE) has primarily been investigated in male athletes involved in popular sports and high-level competitions. However, occurrence of RAE in other types of sports at the grassroots level, particularly in female athletes, is less well-studied. Thus, we examined the RAE in a large cohort of young athletes who participated in all competitive sports in Bizkaia, Spain, according to gender and specificity of the sport. The birth dates of 38,381 participants (65.1% males and 34.9% females) aged 9–14 years old in 37 competitive sports were analyzed. Birth dates were divided into four birth-quarters and compared to those of all children born in the same period using a χ2 goodness-of-fit test and standardized residuals. The effect size Cramer’s V was measured, and odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the odds of athletes born in January playing in the highest leagues. In the total sample, in boys RAE was evident in football, but only in higher-competition leagues (p<0.001, large effect size). In girls, RAE was evident in the most popular team sports: basketball (p<0.001, large effect size in basketball 1st league), handball and football (p<0.05, both small effect sizes). Players born in January were 3.23- and 2.89-times more likely to play in the 1st leagues than those born in December, for boys (football) and girls (basketball) respectively. In the overall analysis and in the remaining sports, presence of RAE was negligible. Therefore, the date of birth does not seem to be a constraint to participating in most sports in Bizkaia. The potential mechanisms for RAE are multifactorial and complex, yet a combination of factors, such as the popularity of a sport and the depth of competition, physicality and social influences may be involved. We discuss these mechanisms and potential measures to mitigate RAE.

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Participation and Dropout of Hockey New South Wales Participants in 2017 and 2018: A Longitudinal Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-805654/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katherine B Owen ◽

Bridget C Foley ◽

Rochelle Eime ◽

Catriona Rose ◽

Lindsey J Reece

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Drop Out ◽

Return To Play ◽

Dropping Out ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

South Wales ◽

Previous Season ◽

Demographic Subgroups

Abstract Background Sports have a focus on increasing participation, which contributes to increasing population levels of physical activity, social cohesion and longevity of the sport. The primary aim of this study was to examine reasons for drop-out of a popular team sport in Australia, Field Hockey and identify opportunities to increase participation. Methods This longitudinal study obtained routinely collected registered player data from Hockey New South Wales over two consecutive years, and survey data from registered players who dropped out. Logistic regression models identified demographic subgroups who were more likely to drop out of sport, and the reasons for dropping out. Results In 2018, 8,463 (31%) of hockey players did not return to play hockey after the previous season and 805 (10%) of these completed a survey. Specific groups who were more likely to stop playing included 5–6 years (OR: 2.1, 95% CIs 1.8, 2.6; reference: 12–17 years), females (OR: 1.1, 95% CIs 1.3, 1.2; reference: males), Indigenous (OR: 1.2, 95% CIs 1.1, 1.4; reference: non-indigenous), most disadvantaged (OR: 1.1, 95% CIs 1.0, 1.2; reference: least disadvantaged) or regional and remote (1.1, 95% CIs 1.0, 1.2; reference: major cities). Top reasons for drop out were; medical/age (17%), change in circumstances (16%) and high cost (13%), lack of time (13%) and lack of enjoyment (7%). Conclusions This research makes recommendations to sport on how to reduce dropout and specifically amongst 5–6 year olds, females, Indigenous, disadvantaged and regional or remote areas through enjoyable flexible, modifiable versions of the game.

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Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes

Sudden Cardiac Death ◽

10.5772/intechopen.90627 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Leonid Makarov

Keyword(s):

Sudden Death ◽

Sports Medicine ◽

Cardiac Death ◽

Heart Rhythm ◽

Position Paper ◽

Cardiac Conduction ◽

Competitive Sports ◽

Young Athletes ◽

The Usa ◽

Artery Disease

Sudden death (SD) is the most dangerous and irreversible outcome of diseases in clinical as well as in sports medicine. Between 1980 and 2011, the Sudden Death in Young Athletes Registry in the USA, which was developed based on mass media information, recorded 2406 cases of sudden death, which were observed in 29 diverse sports. In the USA 80% of all SD occurred in high school/middle school or collegiate student athletes, and 20% were engaged in organized youth, postgraduate. Statistical data vary greatly in different countries: SCD incidence rate in the USA is 7.47 and 1.33 per 1,000,000 exercising male and female school-age athletes, respectively, whereas in Italy, the rate is 2.6 cases in men and 1.1 in women per 100,000 individuals per year who are involved in active competitive sports. The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) position paper concluded that as an overall estimate, 1–2 out of 100,000 athletes between of age of 12 and 35 years old die suddenly each year. It was shown that the risk of SCD is significantly higher in athletes than in nonathletes with the same heart condition in the general population, by more than five times for ARVC, 2.6 times for coronary artery disease, 1.5 times for myocarditis, and more than 2 times for cardiac conduction system diseases.

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Social network dynamics in the course of family formation: Results from a mixed-methods longitudinal study

International Review of Social Research ◽

10.1515/irsr-2016-0026 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 245-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Andreas Klärner ◽

Sylvia Keim ◽

Holger von der Lippe

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Family Formation ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Network Size ◽

Personal Networks ◽

Dropping Out ◽

Social Network Dynamics ◽

The Relationship

Abstract In this article we examine the relationship between various biographical transitions of young adulthood and the structure of social networks. We ask how personal networks change in size and composition over the course of family formation or expansion, and due to other biographical transitions. We use data from an exploratory longitudinal study that uses mixed methods of social network analysis. We were able to reconnect with 29 of 98 young adults who were interviewed from 2004 to 2006, and conducted detailed qualitative interviews with 18 of them in 2011. Our findings suggest that biographical transitions do rather have an effect on the composition than on the size of personal networks. Biographical transitions do not necessarily lead to a decrease in network size due to network partners dropping out. These network partners often get substituted by new network partners that match changing priorities in different life stages. Particularly important transitions are the interviewees’ own parenthood, as well as the parenthood of their network partners. Transitions in relationship status, relocations, and job changes were also identified as relevant biographical transitions.

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Return to play with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: are we moving too fast? A critical review

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-102921 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bjsports-2020-102921

Author(s):

Jonathan A Drezner ◽

Aneil Malhotra ◽

Jordan M Prutkin ◽

Michael Papadakis ◽

Kimberly G Harmon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy ◽

Shared Decision Making ◽

Sports Participation ◽

American Football ◽

Return To Play ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Competitive Sports ◽

Shared Decision ◽

Young Athletes

The diagnosis of a potentially lethal cardiovascular disease in a young athlete presents a complex dilemma regarding athlete safety, patient autonomy, team or institutional risk tolerance and medical decision-making. Consensus cardiology recommendations previously supported the ‘blanket’ disqualification of athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) from competitive sport. More recently, epidemiological studies examining the relative contribution of HCM as a cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young athletes and reports from small cohorts of older athletes with HCM that continue to exercise have fueled debate whether it is safe to play with HCM. Shared decision-making is endorsed within the sports cardiology community in which athletes can make an informed decision about treatment options and potentially elect to continue competitive sports participation. This review critically examines the available evidence relevant to sports eligibility decisions in young athletes diagnosed with HCM. Histopathologically, HCM presents an unstable myocardial substrate that is vulnerable to ventricular tachyarrhythmias during exercise. Studies support that young age and intense competitive sports are risk factors for SCD in patients with HCM. We provide an estimate of annual mortality based on our understanding of disease prevalence and the incidence of HCM-related SCD in different athlete populations. Adolescent and young adult male athletes and athletes participating in a higher risk sport such as basketball, soccer and American football exhibit a greater risk. This review explores the potential harms and benefits of sports disqualification in athletes with HCM and details the challenges and limitations of shared decision-making when all parties may not agree.

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