Method: A total of 35 studies concerning youth sport participation and PA from 1998 to 2013 were identified using the search terms “youth sport” and “physical activity” from several databases including Google Scholar, PubMed and ERIC. Thirty studies met our inclusion criteria, which were studies comparing sport participants to non-participants and those comparing the role of different sport types and different sport settings. Studies with within-subject design were also included. Descriptive analysis of the variables of interest (e.g., youth sport participation, physical activity, intramural sports, varsity sports) were conducted.
Analysis/Results: Eleven studies reported participation in youth sport was positively associated with children’s physical activity levels. That is, children and adolescents who participated in sport were more likely to be physically active. Nine articles found that youth participating in sports were more likely to persist in their physical activity three to 20 years later than non-participants or those who dropped out. Six other studies also indicated youth involved in sports demonstrated greater daily energy expenditure. Four studies compared physical activity levels between children in schools with intramural programs and those in schools with varsity programs. Three of these studies suggested that youth who participated in intramural sports were more likely to be active than those who specialized in one sport or participated in varsity sports, whereas the other study indicated no difference between intramural and varsity sports. Interestingly, there are no available studies that showed no relationship or a negative relationship between sport and PA.
Conclusions: Available research consistently demonstrates that youth who participate in either school- or community-based sports are more physically active than those who do not. This finding extended to both individual and team sports. Practical implications and directions for future studies will be provided.