SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2025
Health-related outcomes of youth sport participation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of school-based physical activity interventions on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children and adolescents: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of sports participation on psychological health and social outcomes in children and adolescents: a systematic review and update to the "Mental Health through Sport" conceptual model.Systematic reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Evidence-Based Insights for the Development and Talent Promotion of Young Athletes in a National Sports Context.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Menstrual-Related Symptoms, Early Menarche, and Their Impact on Sport Participation in Adolescent Floorball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sweden.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Smartphone Addiction and Health Indicators in Portuguese University Students: The Moderating Role of Physical Activity.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Holistic Ecological Approach to Injury Prevention and Management in Youth Sport: A Scoping Review.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2026Article
- From Doping Intentions to Life Aspirations: A Goal Systems Perspective of Performance Enhancement in Sport.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Trends in body mass index categories among young athletes in Estonia 2010-2024: a retrospective study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Socio-Demographic Associations and Frequencies of Physical Activity Participation of Autistic Adolescents Reported by Parents in Ontario, Canada.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Latent profile analysis of physical activity and mental health among chinese high school adolescents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Being Able to Engage in Sports on One's Own Terms: Positive Development in Sport for Older Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Injury Characteristics and Associated Factors in Federated Artistic Skaters: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- When Fear Feels Like Fact: Cognitive Bias and Cardiac Risk Perception in Youth Sports.JACC. Case reports · 2026Article
- Adolescent sports participation and school adjustment: the chain-mediation roles of peer relationships and depressive symptoms.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Sports participation and physical health outcomes: the mediating roles of educational attainment and health-related behaviors.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Smartphone dependence and sport participation among Chinese adolescents: chain mediation by self-control and health beliefs and direct-path moderation by interpersonal support.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Misalignments in athletic ambitions and motives for participation in youth football: a cross-sectional study of players, parents, and coaches.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Physical activity, dietary habits, screen time, and sleep duration among Saudi male adolescent athletes and non-athletes: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Psychosocial factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behavior in adolescents: evidence from physical education contexts in Quito.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The relationship between perceived motivational climate and psychological well-being among adolescent handball players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundParticipating in youth sports can benefit individuals' psychological (e.g., fewer depressive symptoms, improved self-esteem), social (e.g., improved social skills, learning to work with others as a team), and physical health-related outcomes (e.g., higher physical activity levels, lower body fat), aligning with global sustainable development goals. Nevertheless, little is known about the magnitude concerning the effects of youth sport participation on such health-related outcomes compared with nonparticipation over time from childhood to adulthood. In this paper, we systematically review the extant longitudinal research and estimate the effects of youth sport participation on several psychological, physical, and social outcomes compared with nonparticipation.
methodsElectronic database searches were employed to identify English-language peer-reviewed studies published from the earliest date until October 4, 2024. By using a priori criteria for inclusion and exclusion, we included 46 out of 4588 identified individual studies in the systematic review and 38 of the eligible studies for calculation of Cohen's d effect size estimates.
resultsTogether, the follow-up measurements of the included studies varied from 1 to 54 years after baseline, and the sample sizes ranged from 76 to over 50,000 participants. The meta-analysis revealed that youth sport participation had positive and statistically significant low- to medium-sized effects on physical activity, health and wellbeing, and negative small- to medium-sized effects on unhealthy body composition and mental ill-being over time.
conclusionsThis study provides evidence that participating in youth sports can have health-promoting effects throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This advocates for collaborative efforts among national governments, sport governing bodies, communities, and sports clubs to create an accessible and inclusive youth sport environment where young people can thrive and reap the health benefits of sport participation.
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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.