MINNEAPOLIS - Playing organized sports can help, but its not the magic bullet when it comes to fighting childhood obesity.
That's the finding from new research by the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, which found nearly half of overweight adolescents ages 12 to 17 also participate in organized sports activities.
The 'U' says the research stems from the Healthy Youth Sports Study (HYSS), an ongoing research project designed to investigate the relationship between youth sport participation and obesity prevention strategies. The project involves researchers from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, Medical School and School of Kinesiology.
"Youth sport activities get promoted as something that can help curb the obesity epidemic among young people, but the results of our research show that the activity alone might not be enough to combat the issue," said School of Public Health researcher Toben F. Nelson, Sc.D., assistant professor within the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health. "The fact it doesn't reduce obesity is interesting because participants are much more likely to be physically active."
Researchers point to the high-calorie culture pervading youth sports as a possible reason young athletes can also be overweight. They say pre-game snacks, sugary drinks, concession stands and post-game fast food trips are all commonplace.
The study found that on average, youth sports participants eat more fast food, drink more sugar-sweetened beverages and consume more calories than their non-participating counterparts.
"When we talked to parents and league administrators they sort of shrug it off," Nelson notes. "They say these kids are physically active, so a little bit of extra junk food isn't really going to hurt them. But clearly the results of our study show differently."
According to Nelson and his colleagues, the onus is on parents, coaches and league administrators to help young people make healthier choices when it comes to stocking the concession stand and choosing snacks.
Fruits, veggies and cheeses provide energy and nutrients, whereas candy bars and sugary sports drinks offer mostly empty calories.
"We definitely encourage participation in youth sport," Nelson said. "But we need to do better in providing a healthier environment."
The study appears in the November/December edition of Current Sports Medicine Reports.
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