Besides the health benefits of regular physical activity, a recent study is showing that a girl's participation in sports is associated with numerous benefits, including lower teen pregnancy rates, better academic success in school, and higher self-esteem.
Just 40 years ago Title IV mandated that schools and colleges receiving federal funding offer the same opportunities for girls to play sports as for boys. This legislation opened the door for girls' participation in team sports. In the 1960s only about 4 percent of high school girls participated in team sports, but today that number has jumped to nearly 1 in 3 girls playing sports.
Several economists and researchers have studied the numbers and the significance of this legislation and conclude that the increase in girls' participation in sports has led to about 20 percent of the increase in women's education and a 40 percent increase in career advancement for women.
The research also found that a girl's participation in sports is associated with a 7 percent lower risk of obesity later in life. It also showed a decrease in health issues related to obesity like diabetes and heart disease.
For more information on this topic, you can read the full article in the New York Times:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/as-girls-become-women-sports-pay-dividends/?em
No comments:
Post a Comment