ABSTRACT

Research tracking sport participation from youth to adulthood is relatively rare, as is research that tracks youth sport participation with regard to adult physical activity (PA) levels, especially in the United States. Aims of this study were: 1) To investigate the degree to which sport participation tracked across youth, adolescence, and early adulthood in a sample of participants from the Michigan State University Motor Performance Study (MPS), and 2) Determine if differences existed in their levels of adult PA relative to prior sport participation. In total, 256 (60.8%) former participants from the MPS completed follow-up surveys regarding routine sport participation and PA across the previous year. Sport participation tracked consistently from youth to college. Further, regardless of the level of youth sport participation, adult leisure time PA was relatively consistent among groups. Although the study did not directly test the influence of the MPS on subsequent adult outcomes, our findings suggest that participants’ past sport participation was not a good predictor of adult PA for those who were involved in a program that emphasized fundamental motor skills in youth. Further investigation of such programs can help to better inform their influence on adult PA.

摘要

追踪从青年到成年的体育运动参与的研究相对较少，尤其是在美国，针对成年人的体育活动（PA）水平跟踪青年体育运动参与的研究也很少。这项研究的目的是：1）从密歇根州立大学运动表现研究（MPS）的参与者样本中调查运动参与程度在青年，青春期和成年初期的追踪情况，以及2）确定是否存在差异。相对于以前参加运动的成年人的PA水平。总共有256名（60.8％）的MPS前参与者在上一年完成了有关常规运动参与和PA的随访调查。从青年到大学，运动参与情况始终如一。此外，无论青年运动参与程度如何，各组之间的成人休闲时间PA相对一致。尽管该研究并未直接检验MPS对随后的成人结局的影响，但我们的研究结果表明，对于参与强调青年基本运动技能计划的人来说，参与者过去的体育锻炼并不能很好地预测成人PA。对此类程序的进一步调查有助于更好地了解其对成人PA的影响。