8 research outputs found
Protocol for an observational study on the effects of adolescent sports participation on health in early adulthood
We will study the impact of adolescent sports participation on
early-adulthood health using longitudinal data from the National Survey of
Youth and Religion. We focus on two primary outcomes measured at ages 23--28 --
self-rated health and total score on the PHQ9 Patient Depression Questionnaire
-- and control for several potential confounders related to demographics and
family socioeconomic status. Comparing outcomes between sports participants and
matched non-sports participants with similar confounders is straightforward.
Unfortunately, an analysis based on such a broad exposure cannot probe the
possibility that participation in certain types of sports (e.g. collision
sports like football or soccer) may have larger effects on health than others.
In this study, we introduce a hierarchy of exposure definitions, ranging from
broad (participation in any after-school organized activity) to narrow (e.g.
participation in limited-contact sports). We will perform separate matched
observational studies, one for each definition, to estimate the health effects
of several levels of sports participation. In order to conduct these studies
while maintaining a fixed family-wise error rate, we developed an ordered
testing approach that exploits the logical relationships between exposure
definitions. Our study will also consider several secondary outcomes including
body mass index, life satisfaction, and problematic drinking behavior