Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2025

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
The associations between organized sport participation and physical fitness and weight status development during
Iiris Kolunsarka1, David Stodden2, Arto Gråstèn3
1Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
Objectives:
We are yet to understand how continuous participation in organized sports, dropout from organized sports, or complete non-participation affect adolescents' trajectories of physical fitness and body mass index (BMI). Thus, the aim was to examine longitudinal changes in cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and BMI between adolescents 1) who continued or started organized sport participation, 2) who dropped out, and 3) who never participated in organized sport or dropped out before adolescence.
Design:
Longitudinal observational study.
Methods:
Over four years (2017-2021), sport participation, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and BMI data were collected annually from 963 participants (Mage = 11.25 ± 0.31). Latent growth curve models were utilized to examine levels (baseline) and slopes (rate of change) of BMI, cardiorespiratory, and muscular fitness in each sport participation group.
Results:
Fitness levels significantly varied among groups. Continuing sport participants exhibited the highest levels, non-participants the lowest. Both groups showed significant improvements in cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness over time. Dropouts had higher baseline fitness than non-participants but demonstrated no change in cardiorespiratory fitness over time and a significantly smaller increase in muscular fitness than the two other groups. BMI increased similarly in all groups, with non-participants starting at higher baseline levels.
Conclusions:
Individuals who continually participated in sports maintained higher levels of fitness than individuals who did not participate in organized sports across adolescence. However, individuals who dropped out of organized sports, showed plateau in their fitness improvements, suggesting that the physical activity previously obtained through organized sports may not be replaced elsewhere.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Signs of Puberty
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

