Health benefits of different sport disciplines for adults: systematic review of observational and intervention studies with meta-analysis

Abstract

Key words: health promotion through physical activity, sports analysis in different types of sports, aerobic fitness/VO2max, intervention effectiveness, evidence based reviews Word count: 4526 (without abstract, references, figure/table legends, new findings) 2 Health benefits of different sport disciplines for adults: systematic review of observational and intervention studies with meta-analysis ABSTRACT Health impacts of physical activity are extensively documented but less is known about the health benefits of sports. The aim was to assess the quality and strength of the evidence for the health benefits of specific sport disciplines up to April 2013.Electronic search of six databases yielded 2194 records. Selection against inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 69 eligible studies with 47 cross-sectional, nine cohort and 13 intervention designs. After data extraction and synthesis the quality of the studies and the strength of the evidence were assessed. Six football interventions provided sufficient data for meta-analyses.105 comparisons between participation and non-participation groups in 26 different sport disciplines were reported. Most comparisons comprised running, football, gymnastics, cycling, and swimming. The quality of eight cohort studies was rated high or moderate and that of all intervention studies moderate or weak.Intervention and cohort studies showed moderately strong evidence that both running and football improve aerobic fitness and cardiovascular function at rest, and football reduces adiposity. The effects of football were confirmed and quantified by meta-analysis. Conditional evidence showed that running benefits metabolic fitness and adiposity, and that football improves metabolic fitness, and muscular performance and results in positive cardiac adaptations. All these benefits apply to both adult women and men. Evidence for health benefits of swimming, recreational cycling and other sport disciplines was either inconclusive or tenuous.This review demonstrates that the evidence base (up to April 2013) for the health benefits of specific sports disciplines is generally compromised by weak study design and quality. The exception is for running and cycling which provide the strongest evidence for positive effects. Future research should address the health effects of different sport disciplines using rigorous research designs. Word count: 2613

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