Study: Playing Sports Help Teens Avoid Weight Problems, Obesity

Parents across the country are helping prevent childhood obesity and they don’t even know it.

Every time a child heads onto the soccer field or makes a dash from first to second base during a baseball game, their chances of becoming obese get slimmer and slimmer.

In fact, “teens who play on three or more sports teams…were 27 percent less likely to be overweight and 39 percent less likely to be obese compared with teens who did not play on any sports team,” according to a news release from the American Academy of Pediatrics on a study published in the online issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers interviewed more than 1,700 high school students from New Hampshire and Vermont for the study, which considered how many sports they play, their height, weight and level of exercise.

What they found may surprise some parents.

Physical education classes appeared to have little sway on how much teens weigh. But getting to school the old-fashioned way – by walking or riding a bike – “was associated with a reduced likelihood of obesity,” the news release states.

According to the authors of the study, high school sports reduce obesity and weight problems because teenagers who play them engage in “moderate to strenuous activity levels.”

“Study authors conclude that increasing opportunities for all teens, regardless of athletic ability, to participate in sports should be a priority in obesity prevention efforts.”

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics news release

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