ReviewJournal of athletic training2021
Consensus Definition of Sport Specialization in Youth Athletes Using a Delphi Approach.
Review in Journal of athletic training, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Training Age and Sport Specialization in Achieved Selection Tier in Adolescent Handball Talents.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Game changer: How middle childhood sport predicts reduced oppositional-defiant behavior by early adolescence.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Visualizing youth sports specialization and injury risk: A novel application of swimmer plots.PloS one · 2026Article
- Developing and validating a digital literacy assessment framework for pre-service physical education teachers: a Delphi-AHP study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Parental perspectives on youth sport specialization: insights on motivators across specialization levels.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Strength and balance asymmetries in children and adolescents: comparison between single- and multi-sport participants.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Focus on One Swimming Stroke or Compete in Multiple: How Much Specialization Is Needed to Become a World-Class Female Swimmer?Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Standardising health history and injury surveillance of participants in endurance events: a modified Delphi consensus statement from the AMSSM runner health consortium.British journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Sports-related injuries and illnesses amongst adolescent athletes in an urban sports medicine practice setting: a one-year prospective study.South African journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Injury Risk Factors Related to Sport Specialization in High School Basketball: A Prospective Study.Journal of athletic training · 2024Article
- Specializing When It Counts: Comparing the Dose-Time Effect of Distance Variety between Swimming and Track Running.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Youth Sport Specialization: Current Concepts and Clinical Guides.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2024Review
- Motivation and Behaviors Related to Sport Specialization in Collegiate Baseball Players.Journal of athletic training · 2024Article
- Sport Specialization and Sport Motivation in Middle School-Aged Athletes.Journal of athletic training · 2024Article
- Injury Patterns in Highly Specialized Youth Athletes: A Comparison of 2 Pathways to Specialization.Journal of athletic training · 2024Article
- Perceived competence in ice hockey and its associations with relative age, early sport specialization, and players' position.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- S.P.O.R.R.T.-A Comprehensive Approach to the Assessment and Non-Operative Management of Overuse Knee Conditions in Youth Athletes.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2023Review
- Article
- Language games and blurry terminology: Can clarity enhance athlete development?Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Article
- Higher Levels of Income and Education are Associated with More Specialized Sport Participation Behaviors: Results from a Representative Sample of Youth Sport Parents from the United States.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextA single, widely accepted definition of sport specialization does not currently exist. A consensus definition is necessary to guide youth sport stakeholders on topics associated with sport specialization.
objectiveTo develop a consensus definition of youth sport specialization and identify elements that support the construct of specialization.
designDelphi study.
settingDirected surveys. PATIENTS OR OTHER
participantsA consensus panel of 17 experts was created to provide a broad multidisciplinary perspective on sport specialization in youth athletes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The final definition was developed per an iterative process that involved 4 rounds of review. A comprehensive review of the literature and expert input supported our initial proposed umbrella definition that included 6 additional elements. The study team reviewed the results after each round, and changes were made to the definition based on panel feedback. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Panel members were provided with the definition and 6 elements and then asked to rate each specific to importance, relevance, and clarity using a 4-point Likert scale.
resultsIn 4 Delphi consensus rounds, 17 experts reviewed the umbrella definition and 6 elements before consensus was reached. The umbrella definition and 3 of the initial 6 elements achieved greater than 80% agreement for importance, relevance, and clarity after the fourth round of review. The remaining 3 components did not reach greater than 80% agreement, even after iterative edits, and were removed. The process resulted in a final consensus definition: Sport specialization is intentional and focused participation in a single sport for a majority of the year that restricts opportunities for engagement in other sports and activities.
conclusionsA consensus-based conceptual definition for sport specialization was developed using a Delphi method. This definition has important implications for clinicians and sports medicine professionals who support youth athletes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.