Evidence of the effects of organised leisure time sport for at-risk young people is inconclusive
We aimed to find evidence of the effectiveness of participation in organised leisure time sport on improving risk behaviour, personal, emotional and social skills of young people at risk of an adverse outcome. The evidence is inconclusive because of the small number of studies each reporting different outcomes.
What is this review about?
The intervention is participation in leisure time organised sport. Young people between 6 and 18 years of age, who either have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome were eligible. Our primary outcome is problem/risk behaviour and secondary outcomes are social and emotional outcomes.
What is the aim of this review?
We examine the effects of participation in leisure time organised sport on risk behaviour, personal, emotional and social skills of young people compared to no participation in leisure time organised sport.
What studies are included?
Thirteen studies were identified. Only seven were assessed to be of sufficient methodological quality to be included in the final data synthesis. The studies were from Australia, the USA and Canada and spanned the period 1995 to 2018. There were no randomised controlled trials. The studies contained data for 17,155 participants and 9664 controls.
Studies had to examine the impact of participation in leisure time organised sport on at-risk youth using a comparison group.
What is the effect of organised leisure time sport?
The evidence is inconclusive. A number of primary outcomes were reported but each in a single study only. For secondary outcomes, two studies reported the effect of organised sport participation on overall psychosocial adjustment post-intervention and three studies reported on depressive symptoms at 0–3 years follow-up. A number of other secondary outcomes were reported in a single study only.
What do the findings of this review mean?
The impact of participation in leisure time organised sport on at-risk youth shows has yet to be evaluated thoroughly. The evidence was inconclusive because too few studies reported results on the same type of outcome.
The vast majority of the available evidence used in the data synthesis was from the USA and Canada. The findings may not be generalisable to other settings and systems outside Northern America.
Because too few studies reported results on the same type of outcome, at most three studies could be combined in a particular meta-analysis. No meta-analysis could be performed on any of the primary outcomes.
There is a need for more rigorous studies reporting a larger number of outcomes, for example, substance use, delinquency, school suspension and drop out. There is a need for studies conducted in countries outside of Northern America.
How up-to-date is this review?
We searched for studies up to 2023.