Citation

Brown DR, Galuska DA, Zhang J, Eaton DK, Fulton JE, Lowry R, Maynard LM. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2007; 39(12): 2248-2257.

Affiliation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, Obesity; and Division of Adolescent and School Health, Atlanta, GA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1249/mss.0b013e31815793a3

PMID

18046198

Abstract

PURPOSE:: To evaluate the associations of physical activity and sports team participation with suicidal behavior among U.S. high school students. METHODS:: Data were from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 10,530 respondents). Exposure variables included physical activity (inactive, insufficient, moderately intensive, regular vigorously intensive, and frequent vigorously intensive) and sports team participation. Outcome variables were suicide ideation (seriously considering and/or planning suicide) and suicide attempts. Hierarchical logistic regressions were run, controlling for age, race, smoking, alcohol use, drug use, geographic region, unhealthy weight-control practices, and body mass index/weight perceptions. RESULTS:: Compared with inactive students or sports team nonparticipants, the odds of suicide ideation were lower among boys reporting frequent vigorous-intensity physical activity (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.29, 0.79) and sports team participation, respectively (AOR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.86). The odds of suicide attempts were also lower among frequently vigorously active boys (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.96) and sports team participants (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.40, 0.93). The odds of suicide attempts were lower for regular vigorously active girls compared with inactive girls (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.45, 0.99) and sports team participants compared with nonparticipants (AOR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.57, 0.94). Associations with one exposure variable generally weakened when adjustment was made for the other exposure variable, or for feeling sad and hopeless. CONCLUSIONS:: The association of physical activity and sports team participation with suicide ideation and suicide attempts varied by sex. Further research is needed to clarify these different associations.

Language: en