Challenging issues in youth and high school sports in the United States

Background: Organized sports provide children and adolescents with opportunities to achieve recommended amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and schools are a primary setting for sports programs. The main aims of this study were to examine participant physical activity (PA) levels during the most popular high school sports in the United States and to assess the influences of practice contextual factors on PA levels.Methods: Participant PA and its contexts were assessed during practices for the 10 most popular girls' and boys' high school sports in the United States. Data were obtained during 598 practice sessions in 12 schools in North Carolina using a validated direct observation instrument (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). A regression model was applied to understand the association between sport context and athletes' PA.Results: Overall, athletes were observed engaging in MVPA 60% of practice time. MVPA varied among sports and levels were highly influenced by practice contexts. Among girls' sports, cross country and soccer practices provided the highest proportion of MVPA and MVPA percent during boys' practice sessions was highest during cross country and track and field. Practice contexts were associated with MVPA accrual with time allocated for gameplay and fitness activities associated with the highest levels of PA.Conclusions: The results contribute to an understanding of which sports and how their practices are conducted facilitate increased PA. Findings indicate athletes accrue substantial amounts of PA during high school practices, but that it varies from sport to sport. As well, the context that characterizes sport practices is a significant determinant in how much PA occurs. Most sports that emphasized game simulation, fitness, and skill development drills had higher levels of MVPA. Given the length and frequency of practices and how the content is delivered, we can accurately predict how much PA athletes are likely to achieve during a given sport season. The findings from this study demonstrate that sport can make a useful, if not sufficient role in helping high school athletes reach recommended PA levels. PA engagement can be optimized by attending to the management of contexts surrounding the sports.

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Epidemiology of United States High School Sports-Related Fractures, 2008-09 to 2010-11

The American Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/0363546512453304 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 40 (9) ◽

pp. 2078-2084 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

David M. Swenson ◽

Natalie M. Henke ◽

Christy L. Collins ◽

Sarah K. Fields ◽

R. Dawn Comstock

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

High School ◽

High School Sports ◽

School Sports

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Medical Supervision of High School Athletics in Chicago: A Follow-up Study

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967119862503 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. 232596711986250

Author(s):

Nathaniel S. Jones ◽

Kyle Wieschhaus ◽

Brendan Martin ◽

Pietro M. Tonino

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High Schools ◽

The United States ◽

Return To Play ◽

Athletic Trainer ◽

Public High Schools ◽

High School Sports ◽

Medical Supervision ◽

Concussion Management ◽

School Sports

Background: High school sports participation in the United States has increased dramatically over the past 25 years. A corresponding increase in the number of injuries has been noted, particularly in contact sports such as football. This has led medical and sports organizations nationwide to advocate for proper medical supervision of athletes at games and practices. Purpose: To gather information from Chicago public high schools to gauge how medical supervision for high school sports has changed in 2017 compared with 2003. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Survey questionnaires were sent to the athletic directors of all 99 Chicago public high schools to complete via email. The questionnaire survey contained the same questions as in a survey conducted in 2003 by Tonino and Bollier, with the addition of 4 novel questions relating to emergency action plans (EAPs), automated external defibrillators, concussion management policy, and tackling progression drills. Results: The response rate was 66.67% (66/99 schools). Of the 66 responding schools, all with football programs, no school had a physician on the sideline at home games (decrease from 10.6% in 2003), 37.9% had an athletic trainer present (increase from 8.5% in 2003), and 63.6% had a paramedic available (decrease from 89.4% in 2003). In 2017, 65.6% of responding schools had a coach certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) available at practice to handle medical problems, compared with 89.4% in 2003 ( P < .001). Regarding the 4 novel questions, 93.9% of the responding schools had proper tackling progression drills in place, followed by 89.1% who had appropriate EAPs and 93.9% with concussion management protocols, including return-to-play and return-to-learn protocols. Conclusion: Although significant improvement was found in athletic trainer coverage, especially at games, physician coverage was lacking and fewer coaches were certified in CPR in 2017 compared with 2003. EAPs and concussion management protocols were present in most Chicago public high schools. Overall, greater medical supervision is needed, which we believe should come in the form of increased athletic training and physician involvement and coverage, given that expert, expedited medical care saves lives.

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Trends in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors of United States Youth

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2014-0050 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1102-1111 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

David R. Bassett ◽

Dinesh John ◽

Scott A. Conger ◽

Eugene C. Fitzhugh ◽

Dawn P. Coe

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

United States ◽

High School ◽

Physical Education ◽

Sports Participation ◽

The United States ◽

Outdoor Play ◽

Active Commuting ◽

Sedentary Behaviors ◽

School Sports

Background:Increases in childhood and adolescent obesity are a growing concern in the United States (U.S.), and in most countries throughout the world. Declines in physical activity are often postulated to have contributed to the rise in obesity rates during the past 40 years.Methods:We searched for studies of trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviors of U.S. youth, using nontraditional data sources. Literature searches were conducted for active commuting, physical education, high-school sports, and outdoor play. In addition, trends in sedentary behaviors were examined.Results:Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and other national surveys, as well as longitudinal studies in the transportation, education, electronic media, and recreation sectors showed evidence of changes in several indicators. Active commuting, high school physical education, and outdoor play (in 3- to 12-year-olds) declined over time, while sports participation in high school girls increased from 1971 to 2012. In addition, electronic entertainment and computer use increased during the first decade of the 21st century.Conclusions:Technological and societal changes have impacted the types of physical activities performed by U.S. youth. These data are helpful in understanding the factors associated with the rise in obesity, and in proposing potential solutions.

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Concussion Symptom Characteristics and Resolution in 20 United States High School Sports, 2013/14–2017/18 Academic Years

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1093/neuros/nyaa091_s011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 89 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. S11-S11

Author(s):

Avinash Chandran ◽

Zachary Y Kerr ◽

Patricia R Roby ◽

Aliza K Nedimyer ◽

Alan Arakkal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

High School ◽

High School Sports ◽

School Sports

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Rates and Patterns of Lower Extremity Sports Injuries in All Gender-Comparable US High School Sports

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967119873059 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 232596711987305 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Julia Aogaichi Brant ◽

Bernadette Johnson ◽

Lina Brou ◽

R. Dawn Comstock ◽

Tien Vu

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Sports Injuries ◽

The United States ◽

National Database ◽

Radiographic Evaluation ◽

High School Athletes ◽

High School Sports ◽

Injury Rates ◽

School Sports

Background: High school athletes with lower extremity sports injuries (LESIs) frequently present to the emergency department in the United States. Previous epidemiological studies have presented rates and mechanisms of LESIs in these athletes. No studies, however, have looked at LESIs in gender-comparable sports in an attempt to evaluate what differences exist between LESIs in boys and girls. Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of LESIs among US high school athletes using a large national database of athletes in sports that could be considered gender comparable, given the rules of play and protective equipment. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Descriptive data from 2005 to 2016 were collected using the internet-based High School Reporting Information Online (High School RIO), a national high school sports injury surveillance system, for athletes participating in 8 gender-comparable sports (soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball/softball, swimming and diving, track and field, cross-country, and tennis). Rates and patterns of injury were evaluated, with injury rates calculated as ratio of injuries per 10,000 athlete-exposures. Rate ratios (RRs) were calculated to compare the LESI rates in girls and boys. Results: In both genders, LESI rates (per 10,000 athlete-exposures) were highest in soccer (girls, 15.87; boys, 11.68) followed by basketball (girls, 11.51; boys, 9.35), and were lowest in swimming and diving (girls, 0.70; boys, 0.39). Although injury rates were significantly higher in girls compared with boys in all sports, only in tennis was the RR greater than 2 (RR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.17-3.54). Girls had a greater proportion of severe LESIs and injuries that received radiographic evaluation, such as magnetic resonance imaging, compared with boys for all sports except volleyball. Consistency in the mechanism of injury was demonstrated between genders within each sport. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that LESIs are common among high school athletes and disproportionately affect girls more than boys, especially when looking at severe injuries and resource utilization. Further studies are needed to elucidate the cause of these findings. We hope that the awareness of gender-based differences in LESIs will lead to improvements in targeted efforts to decrease injury rates and injury severity.

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