The socialisation of the adolescent who carries out team sports: a transversal study of centrality with a social network analysis

Abstract

ObjectivesTo analyse the physical activity carried out by the adolescents in the study, its relationship to being overweight (overweight+obese) and to analyse the structure of the social network of friendship established in adolescents doing group sports, using different parameters indicative of centrality.SettingIt was carried out in an educational environment, in 11 classrooms belonging to 5 Schools in Ponferrada (Spain).Participants235 adolescents were included in the study (49.4% female), who were classified as normal weight or overweight.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPhysical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) was used to study the level of physical activity. A social network analysis was carried out to analyse structural variables of centrality in different degrees of contact.Results30.2% of the participants in our study were overweight. Relative to female participants in this study, males obtained significantly higher scores in the PAQ-A (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.04 to 4.25; p value: 0.036) and were more likely to participate in group sport (OR: 4.59; 95% CI: 2.28 to 9.22; p value: 0.000). We found no significant relationship between physical activity and the weight status in the total sample, but among female participants, those with overweight status had higher odds of reporting high levels of physical exercise (OR: 4.50; 95% CI: 1.21 to 16.74; p value: 0.025). In terms of centrality, differentiating by gender, women who participated in group sports were more likely to be classified as having low values of centrality, while the opposite effect occurred for men, more likely to be classified as having high values of centrality.ConclusionsOur findings, with limitations, underline the importance of two fundamental aspects to be taken into account in the design of future strategies: gender and the centrality within the social network depending on the intensity of contact they have with their peers.

Associations between organised sports participation, general health, stress, screen‐time and sleep duration in adolescents

“…22 Boys who participate in team sports have also been associated with a higher level of social activity and popularity by friends. 21 Higher OSP was in this study associated with screen-time for less than 2 h/day. Similar findings have been published in previous studies where screen-time was significantly less in children participating in organised sports more than four times/week.…”

“…When the results were stratified by gender, the association between OSP ≥3 times/week and good general health were only significant in boys. Gender differences have previously been presented in levels of PA and choice of sport participation, where boys are more likely to participate in sports with higher amounts of MVPA than girls 21 . Another explanation to the gender‐stratified results in this study might be the social contexts of OSP, where girls has been presented more likely to report teasing specific to their sport, and higher levels of body imaging concerns, like body shame and self‐surveillance compared to boys 22 .…”

“…Another explanation to the gender‐stratified results in this study might be the social contexts of OSP, where girls has been presented more likely to report teasing specific to their sport, and higher levels of body imaging concerns, like body shame and self‐surveillance compared to boys 22 . Boys who participate in team sports have also been associated with a higher level of social activity and popularity by friends 21 …”

Economic Growth: The Log Symmetry of Collaborative Learning Populations

“…Human beings constantly socialize across continents, cultures and through history. In the context of team sports, researchers have examined in-group and out-group dynamics, shared identities, cultural affinity, building social networks, friendship, competition, collaboration, socialization, and other social variables and behaviors that emerge in early childhood and evolve through the life span (Wagg, 2005;Appadurai, 2015;Mercado & Bernthal, 2016;Thomas, 2020;Marqués-Sánchez et al, 2021). Tomasello et al (2005) argued that collaboration is a skill derived from socialization.…”

Economic Growth- The Log Symmetry of Collaborative Learning Populations

“…Human beings constantly socialize across continents, cultures and through history. In the context of team sports, researchers have examined in-group and out-group dynamics, shared identities, cultural a nity, building social networks, friendship, competition, collaboration, socialization, and other social variables and behaviors that emerge in early childhood and evolve through the life span (Wagg, 2005;Nathanson, 2012;Appadurai, 2015;Mercado and Bernthal, 2016;Thomas, 2020;Marqués-Sánchez et al, 2021). Tomasello et al (2005) argued that collaboration is a skill derived from socialization.…”