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February 11, 2010
Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Physical Activity
by Maureen R. Weiss, Ph.D. and Diane M. Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology and Tucker Center for Reserach on Girls & Women In Sport, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
“Be active, healthy, and happy!” So communicates the message on the cover of the recently published Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Specific guidelines for children and adolescents are driven by continuing evidence that less than 50% of youth are engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity levels sufficient enough to result in healthy outcomes. Thus, recommendations for youth 6 to 17 years old suggest 60 or more minutes of physical activity daily including aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening activities—a dosage that has shown positive health outcomes such as lower risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, bone disease, and overweight/obesity.
Physiological health is the most commonly mentioned benefit of regular physical activity. Less frequently mentioned but highly desirable benefits of a physically active lifestyle are mastery of motor and sport-specific skills that contribute to competence in lifelong physical activities, attaining social and psychological life skills (e.g., interpersonal skills, resistance skills), and improving developmental outcomes such as confidence, self-regulation, character, motivation, and perseverance.We refer to all these outcomes as positive youth development—physical, social, and psychological assets, qualities, and characteristics that are potentially acquired through physical activity participation.
Positive youth development goals are salient for many reasons, such as enhancing youths’ desire to continue physical activity for self-determined reasons like enjoying experiences, identifying as a physically active person, and seeking health and fitness benefits. Participating out of internally driven reasons and attaining positive health and social, psychological, and physical assets translate to continued interest in and value toward a lifetime of physical activity.
In this monograph, we define a positive youth development perspective, delineate goals and contexts of effective youth development programs, review the research evidence for physical activity as a context for youth development, and make recommendations for how a variety of stakeholders such as parents, educators, and healthcare providers can optimize positive youth development through physical activity.
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