Talking youth sports with U of M
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the National Youth Sports Strategy. It is a federal report outlining the benefits and barriers of youth sport participation and offering strategies for increasing rates to promote physical activity and health benefits. School of Kinesiology Professor Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., specializes in youth sports research, and shares why a National Youth Sports Strategy is important, and what it might mean to you and your children. Q: What are three things you need to know about the National Youth Sports Strategy? - Prof. Weiss: It is an initiative, similar to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans , that seeks to improve participation rates among youth to enable benefits afforded from participation, such as increased physical activity levels, cognitive health, and social and emotional skills. A particular focus is on underserved and vulnerable populations - youth of color, youth of low income families, youth living in rural communities, migrant youth, youth living in at-risk neighborhoods and youth with disabilities. These populations have the most to gain from positive sport experiences but are typically not afforded access and opportunity due to the pay-to-play framework of youth programs. To attain the goal of increasing sport participation for all youth, strategies are identified at interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy levels. Q: What are potential benefits and detriments of youth sport participation?
