Report: More girls in sports, fewer active overall

Richard Sennott, Jm - Star Tribune

Girls are taking up sports in record numbers, but fewer of them are staying active outside organized sports, the University of Minnesota reports.

Last update: April 14, 2008 - 9:13 PM

THE LATEST: Girls are involved in sports in record numbers, but their participation in physical activity outside of organized sports is falling, particularly as they move from childhood to adolescence.

Those are some of the findings in a report released Monday by the University of Minnesota's Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport.

REACTION: "The research ... confirms that many good things are happening when it comes to girls and physical activity," Nicole LaVoi, associate director of the Tucker Center and a report author, said in a news release. "Girls are participating in organized sports more than ever and at all levels -- from organized youth sports, to interscholastic sports and up through Olympic competition."

BENEFITS OUTLINED: The report outlines the benefits girls can reap from physical activity. They include:

• Improved health and reduced risk of obesity and chronic diseases such as Type II diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

• Positive youth development, including social, psychological and motor skill benefits.

• Better academic performance and lower dropout rates.

HOWEVER: Many barriers, stereotypes and gender inequities limit girls, according to the report. "Poverty substantially limits many girls' access to, and participation in, physical activity and sport," LaVoi said, "especially for girls of color who are overrepresented in lower socioeconomic groups."

OTHER FINDINGS:

• Girls' participation rates in all types of physical activities consistently lag behind those of boys, and girls' dropout rates are higher.

• Outdated, stereotypical standards of femininity and masculinity continue to influence the extent to which girls participate in or shun physical activity.

For a copy of the report, go to: www.tuckercenter.org.

PAUL WALSH

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