Date of Award

4-24-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Volha Chykina

Abstract

My study investigates the relationship between youth sports participation and health outcomes for immigrants using a quantitative statistical analysis of secondary data. Given the theory behind the relationships between physical activity level, sense of community, and health outcomes, I test the hypothesis that immigrants are positively impacted by youth sports participation on a significantly higher level compared to non-immigrants. Using Stata as my statistical analysis software tool, I measure the associations between immigrant status, sports participation, and various indicators of health such as BMI and reports of chronic illness. I found that sports participation is associated with improved general health overall, but the effect is significantly stronger only for adolescent immigrants and when they participate in sports three or more times per week. The key findings of this study support the argument that increasing opportunities for sports participation, specifically programs that involve physical activity at least several times per week for adolescents, should be a focus for policy makers and could be a practical way to improve some health disparities among immigrants in the U.S.

Additional Files
2023-Kennedy-form.pdf (279 kB)
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