Abstract
This study investigated the impact of Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions on perceived health and wellbeing of young Australian sport and physical activity participants. A survey was conducted during the first COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in Australia (May–June 2020). Health measures were tabulated against five respondent characteristics, including settings and modes of sport and physical activity, and comparisons made with chi-square tests. Findings indicate that male youth were significantly more likely to report better physical (p =.001), general (p =.014), and mental (p ≤.001) health compared to female youth. Individuals involved in both team and individual sport reported significantly better general (p =.022) and physical health (p =.003) compared to those involved in individual only sports or physical activity. While it is unclear if this is dose-related, team-based sport may encourage increased time in physical activity (i.e., dose) or social interactions, or a combination of both factors, which potentially buffers against declining health outcomes due to pandemic restrictions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1327-1347 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Youth and Society |
Volume | 55 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 13 Sept 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2023 |
Keywords
- Health
- mental
- pandemic
- participation
- sport
- youth