Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan 1;56(1):11-19.
doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-0478.20. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life of US Adolescent Athletes During COVID-19-Related School Closures and Sport Cancellations: A Study of 13 000 Athletes

Timothy A McGuine  1 , Kevin M Biese  1 , Labina Petrovska  1 , Scott J Hetzel  1 , Claudia Reardon  1 , Stephanie Kliethermes  1 , David R Bell  1 , Alison Brooks  1 , Andrew M Watson  1
Affiliations

Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life of US Adolescent Athletes During COVID-19-Related School Closures and Sport Cancellations: A Study of 13 000 Athletes

Timothy A McGuine et al. J Athl Train. .

Abstract

Context: In the spring of 2020, US schools closed to in-person teaching and sports were cancelled to control the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is critical to understand the mental and physical health of adolescent athletes during this time.

Objective: To describe the health of athletes during COVID-19-related school closures and sport cancellations.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A national sample recruited via social media.

Patients or other participants: A total of 13 002 US adolescent athletes (age = 16.3 ± 1.2 years, females = 52.9%, males = 47.0%) completed an anonymous online survey.

Main outcome measure(s): Demographic information collected was sex, grade, sport(s) played, and zip code. Assessments used were the General Anxiety Disorder 7-Item for anxiety, Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item for depression, the Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale for physical activity, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 for quality of life. Mental health, physical activity, and health-related quality-of-life variables were compared among sex, grade, sport(s) played, and poverty level using means and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from the survey-weighted analysis of variance.

Results: Females reported a higher prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms (females = 43.7% versus males = 28.2%). The Pediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale score was highest (best) for grade 9 (mean = 14.5, 95% CI = 14.0, 15.0) and lowest for grade 11 (mean = 10.9, 95% CI = 10.5, 11.3). The prevalence of depression symptoms was highest in team sport (74.1%) and lowest in individual sport (64.9%) participants. The total Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory score was lowest (worst) for athletes from counties with the highest poverty levels (high: mean = 74.5, 95% CI = 73.7, 75.3; middle: mean = 78.9, 95% CI = 78.0, 79.8; and low: mean = 78.3, 95% CI = 77.4, 79.1).

Conclusions: The health of US adolescents during the COVID-19-related school closures and sport cancellations varied to differing degrees depending on sex, grade level, type of sport participation, and level of poverty. Health policy experts should consider these findings in the future when creating and implementing policies to improve the health of adolescents in the United States.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; disparity; public health; socioeconomic status.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Participation in school athletics. Child Trends Web site. 2020 https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/participation-in-school-athletics Accessed July 12.
    1. K-12 school enrollment & student population statistics. General secondary school enrollment trends. EducationDataorg Web site. 2020 https://educationdata.org/k12-enrollment-statistics Accessed October 20.
    1. Shull ER, Dowda M, Saunders RP, McIver K, Pate RR. Sport participation, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in the transition from middle school to high school. J Sci Med Sport. 2020;23(4):385–389. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2019.10.017. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eime RM, Young JA, Harvey JT, Charity MJ, Payne WR. A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013;10:98. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-98. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marques A, Ekelund U, Sardinha LB. Associations between organized sports participation and objectively measured physical activity, sedentary time, and weight status in youth. J Sci Med Sport. 2016;19(2):154–157. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2015.02.007. - DOI - PMC - PubMed