Sports & Exercise Research Volume 25 Number 3
Author：Sz-Yan Wu; Yao-Chun Li; Sheng-Kuang Wu
Period/Date/Page：Vol. 25 No. 2 (2023 / 06 / 30) ， Pi - viii
DOI：10.5297/ser.202306_25(2).0000
Advocacy for Physical Activity Participation and Athletic Development Among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan
Abstract：Introduction. Participation in physical activity (PA) programs is critical for physical and psychosocial development among children and adolescents. There are various sources of PA, such as physical education classes, exercise programs, organized sports, active play, leisure activities, and even dog walking. Participation in PA has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome, improve mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety), and enhance cognitive functioning and academic performance (Janssen & LeBlanc, 2010; Trudeau & Shephard, 2008). Most children energetically explore the world during the early stage of motor development. During childhood, children crawl, run, jump, and throw/kick something everywhere, but this enthusiasm gradually decreases as age increases. Because of various entertainmental factors and surge in sedentary activities, nowadays PA participation becomes a less attractive choice of many options, leading to a substantial decline in motivation and the actual amount of PA. For example, more than 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, have overweight or obesity conditions in 2016, which has risen about 5 times in 40 years (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). In the United States, less than a quarter of children and adolescents attain the PA goal recommended by the WHO (Merlo et al., 2020). It is therefore, warranted to promote an active lifestyle in childhood, and need to be continued in adolescence, youth, and adulthood. Physical Inactivity Among Children and Adolescents in Taiwan. Based on the recent study of Chang and Wu (2023), the overall PA grades (F, the lowest level) and organized sport and PA participation (D-) in Taiwan were much lower compared with Japan (B- and B-) (Tanaka et al., 2022) and South Korea (D- and C, respectively) (Lee et al., 2023). Due to the complicated and multifactorial structure of the underlying factors of PA participation in pediatric and youth population, Welk (1999) proposed a solid theoretical framework to help understand whether children and adolescents could actively participate in PA and foster an active lifestyle. Regarding the enabling factors, the resource from or access to schools, communities, and the government is fairly adequate in Taiwan (from B+ to A-). The overall physical fitness level among students in Taiwan was also reached a grade of B- (Chang & Wu, 2023). Notwithstanding, we still know little about children's perceived and actual motor competence, even though a sense of achievement/frustration (as a predisposing factor) had been shown to bolster/impede their participation in PA (Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, 2022). Lastly, a noticeable deficiency was found in the category of family and peers as one of the reinforcing factors (D) (Chang & Wu, 2023). It apparently needs further work on establishing a stronger support system, even though the Taiwan's government has invested in career training for physical education teachers, coaches, health professionals, etc. Among the different forms of PA, engaging in exercises or sports can provide a great amount and/or high intensity of PA. More importantly, participation in organized sports during childhood is a foundation for national athletic development in later life. It comes naturally that some of the children and adolescents involved in exercises and sports pursuit of an advanced level of sports skills or even becoming a professional athlete. It is imperative to have someone or a team to guide and support children's career development, particularly due to the reason that children and adolescents are typically vulnerable to get injuries, depression, bullying, sexual harassment, substance abuse, etc. (Mountjoy et al., 2015). International Olympic Committee made a strong statement regarding the importance of promoting evidence-informed perspective to coaches, athlete entourage, medical providers, and administrators (Bergeron et al., 2015). Early Sport Specialization or Diversification? Under the traditional viewpoints of "win at the starting line" and "10,000-hour rule," people believe that early sport specialization is better for athletic development. However, this is not always true based on the previous studies. Involving in one sport early before pubertal maturation is not guarantee for the success, whereas the risk of getting sports injury, burnout, and dropout may be higher than in those who did not (Myer et al., 2015). In contrast, encouraging children to diversly participate in PA may build a broader set of motor skills, maximize their physical literacy development, and further transfer these experiences to their later careers (Myer et al., 2016). When to be specialized is usually depends on that sport's features (e.g., it could be earlier in gymnasts than track athletes). Thus, the general and sport-specific knowledge of the physiological and psychosocial risk of early sport specialization is crucial. Specifically, overuse injury is prevalent for a long year-round training or a large amount of practice on a specific sport skill. For example, little league elbow is exhibited in baseball pitchers, who learned and practiced change-up too early, and gymnast wrist is caused by chronic repetitive compressive impact. Furthermore, a tight schedule of training and competition may lead to high performance stress, a lack of fun, burnout, and further break-out and then withdrawal. To enhance children's physical and mental readiness to accomplish peak sports performance or to nurture an exercise habit in later life, balance specialization and diversification requires further investigation and evidence supported by longitudinal research. Conclusion: Prospective of PA Participation and Athletic Development in Taiwan. Our advocacy for promoting PA participation and athletic development among children and adolescents aligns with physical education and sports policy of Taiwan's government (Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, 2022). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2022) aimed to increase the proportion of children who do enough aerobic PA and play sports to 30.4% and 63.3%, respectively. There are some long-term projects in Taiwan, such as SH150 (at least 150 minutes PA per week at school), Sports for All (e.g., Happy Soccer), Active Schools (e.g., Strong Bat Project), Precision Sports Project, etc. (Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, 2017; Wu, 2021) to promote PA. For the short- and mid-term objectives, we suggest focusing on the health consequences after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and promoting of evidence-based sports science. First, the overall PA of children and adolescents decreased 20% during the pandemic (Neville et al., 2022), and more than 60% of students in Taiwan reported a significant loss of PA (Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, 2022). Limited PA may increase the obesity risk and impede the development of physical fitness and motor competence. Moreover, some children may have a post-COVID-19 condition. Therefore, integration of resources and professionals from medical, research, and education fields is highly needed to help children and adolescents to regain their PA and exercise habits. Secondly, we should vigorously promote evidence-based training to coaches (especially working in elementary schools or local/small clubs), physical education teachers, personal trainers, community health advisors, and even parents. For example, the Youth Physical Development Model, individualized with one's physiological and psychosocial characteristics (Lloyd & Oliver, 2012), should be more efficient in developing sports skills, preventing overuse injury, and transitioning from diverse participation to sport specialization. However, the issue of highly athletic competition to occur pressure for children and adolescents should be monitored carefully. Lastly, sport governing bodies should endorse the development of physical literacy in children and adolescents (enabling factors) to intrigue their motivation and confidence (predisposing factors), and creating a PA-friendly environment and social support system (reinforcing factors). The ultimate goal is to ensure their physical and mental health, while developing an active lifestyle or pursuing excellence in sports. (Full text)
