Organized Sports Participation and Risk
Behaviors in Richmond’s African American Youth
EBONY COPELAND
Advisor: Herman M. Ellis, M.D., M.P.H.
Preceptor: Donna Smith, M.S.W.
Purpose: To determine if there is an association between participation in organized sports and the participation in risk behaviors including smoking, drinking, fighting, skipping school, and having sex.
Methods: Cross sectional study design using data from the Sports Summit Questionnaire designed by the Richmond City Department of Public Health (RCDPH). The study population was African American youth, ages 8-18 participating in Richmond’s Sports Summits. Bi-variate two-tailed analysis and chi-square tests were conducted to determine if there were statistically significant relationships. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
Results: 72% of the respondents were participants in organized sports. There was a significant relationship between currently being on a team and having sex (p=.034). The odds ratios for engaging in health behaviors was higher for those who participated in organized sports than those who did not.
Conclusion: In this study population those who participated in organized sports were more likely to have skipped school, gotten in a fight, tried smoking, tried alcohol, and had sex. It is recommended that the RCDPH and Richmond City School conduct further research into the subject
