Summary
The vast majority of children in America play sports. But while about three out of four adults played sports when they were younger, only one in four still plays sports today, and men are more than twice as likely as women to play. Why do we give up sports as we grow older? A new poll conducted by NPR, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers fresh insight into how and why adults and kids do — and don’t — play sports. What obstacles keep adults off the field? How can sports help keep kids and adults healthy, and how might programs and policies encourage more widespread participation, particularly among women and lower-income adults? What role do parents play in helping children get, and stay, active?
Part of: Policy Controversies.
Presented in Collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR
Background Articles
- Poll: Sports and Health in America
- Press Release: Three in four adults played sports when they were younger, but only one in four still play
- Benefits Of Sports To A Child's Mind And Heart All Part Of The Game
NPR - Take A Swing At This: Golf Is Exercise, Cart Or No Cart
NPR - A Look At Sports And Health In America
NPR - Using Sports to Fight Childhood Obesity
RWJF's Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO - U.S. Soccer Foundation Programs
- Soccer for Success Independent Evaluation
U.S. Soccer Foundation - American Development Model
USA Hockey - Project Play: Reimagining Youth Sports in America
The Aspen Institute
Image Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Pamela Moore
