Adolescent Sports Participation and Health in Early Adulthood: An Observational Study

We study the impact of teenage sports participation on early-adulthood health using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion. We focus on two primary outcomes measured at ages 23 to 28 (self-rated health and PHQ9 Patient Depression Questionnaire score) and control for several demographic and socioeconomic confounders. To probe the possibility that certain types of sports participation may have larger effects on health than others, we conduct matched observational studies at each level within a hierarchy of exposures. Our hierarchy ranges from broadly defined exposures (e.g., participation in any organized after-school activity) to narrow (e.g., participation in collision sports). We maintained a fixed family-wise error rate using an ordered testing approach that exploits the hierarchical relationships between our exposure definitions. Compared to teenagers who did not participate in any after-school activities, those who participated in sports had statistically significantly better self-rated and mental health outcomes in early adulthood.