Original research
Early life factors are associated with trajectories of consistent organized sport participation over childhood and adolescence: Longitudinal analysis from the Raine Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.11.006Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to identify early life factors that were associated with childhood and adolescent organized sport participation trajectories.

Design

Participants were in the Raine Study, a pregnancy cohort in Western Australia recruited from 1989 to 1991.

Methods

Three organized sport trajectories over ages 5–17 years were previously identified for girls (n = 824: consistent participators, dropouts, and non-participators in sport) and boys (n = 855: consistent participators, dropouts, joiners — those who joined sport in adolescence). Physical, psychological and social factors were measured from birth to age 5.

Results

For girls and boys, children who were breastfed, were taller, did not have behavior problems, and attended childcare were more likely to consistently participate. Girls who had a previous injury (Relative risk ratio 1.55: 95% confidence interval 1.05, 2.29 vs never been injured) or who had parents who had worries about their child’s health (1.56: 1.00, 2.42 vs no worries) were more likely to be in the dropout trajectory. Boys born preterm (2.00, 2.06, 3.76 vs full-term), did not have a previous injury (0.72, 0.53, 0.97 those with injury vs never been injured), had more difficult temperament (1.63, 1.02, 2.60 vs easy temperament), and higher family dysfunction (1.49, 1.06, 2.08) were more likely to be in the dropout trajectory.

Conclusions

Early life factors were associated with membership in sport trajectories. Physical, psychological, and social factors may serve as early warning signs for parents and practitioners that children may be at higher risk of dropping out of sports.

Section snippets

Practical implications

  • •

    Children with one or more of the identified early childhood predictors of higher risk of dropping out of sport may need additional encouragement or alternative physical activity opportunities such as dance or organized fitness opportunities.

  • •

    Parents who may be over-protective of their children, particularly of girls, should be counseled on the benefits of sports participation and how to appropriately reduce and manage risk for their child.

  • •

    Parents may match sporting opportunities to their child’s

Methods

Participants in the current study were part of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Expecting mothers were recruited into the study between May 1989 and November 1991 from which 2868 children entered the study. Participation in organized sport was assessed at ages 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 by a parent-reported single item. Physical activity, body composition, and self-rated physical and mental health were assessed at age 20. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of

Results

Descriptive information and sample sizes for each potential predictor can be seen in Supplemental material Table A.

In girls, of the physical predictors, being breastfed, height at age 5, and having an injury were associated with sport trajectories of girls (Table 1). Of the psychological predictors (Table 2), internalizing behaviors (e.g. depression, anxiety) were associated with later sport trajectories. Of the social predictors (Table 2), parent worry at age 5 and childcare at age 1 were

Discussion

This study identified several physical, psychological, and social early life factors from birth to age 5 years that were associated with organized sports participation trajectories in girls and boys. These early life factors included breastfeeding, height, previous reported injuries, child behaviors, and childcare for both girls and boys. For girls, they also included parent worries and for boys and preterm status, relative age effects, temperament, and family functioning.

Being born preterm was

Conclusions

Overall, the early life factors predicting sports participation may be indices of other factors that impair or enable consistent participation or direct mechanism factors. Regardless of the nature of the association, being able to identify a child who is not in childcare, is shorter than their peers, and displays externalizing behaviors may be an early warning sign for parents and practitioners that they are at high risk of dropping out of organized sports and need education or intervention to

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank all the Raine Study participants and their families, the Raine Study Team for cohort co-ordination and data collection and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council for their long-term contribution to funding the study over the last 25 years. Straker was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship 1019980. Funding for core management of the Raine Study has been provided by The University of Western Australia (UWA),

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