Abstract
Objective
To estimate the pooled effects of community-based, recreational-level group sports
on cardiometabolic risk factors and fitness parameters among adults.
Participants and Methods
We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science electronic
databases for English-language articles reporting the effectiveness of recreational-level
group sports published between January 1, 1965, and January 17, 2017. We extracted
baseline and end of intervention means for cardiometabolic and fitness parameters.
Random- or fixed-effects meta-analyses were used to obtain pooled before and after
change in outcome means within intervention participants and between groups.
Results
From 2491 screened titles, 23 publications were included (902 participants; mean ±
SD age, 46.6±11.7 years), comprising 21 soccer and 2 rugby interventions. Intervention
participants achieved larger improvements (mean [95% CI]) compared with control subjects
in weight (−1.44 kg [−1.79 to −1.08 kg]), body mass index (−0.88 kg/m2 [−1.73 to −0.03 kg/m2]), waist circumference (−0.77 cm [−1.21 to −0.33 cm]), body fat (−1.8% [−3.12% to −0.49%]),
total cholesterol level (−0.33 mmol/L [−0.53 to −0.13 mmol/L]), low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol level (−0.35 mmol/L [−0.54 to −0.15 mmol/L]), systolic blood pressure
(−5.71 mm Hg [−7.98 to −3.44 mm Hg]), diastolic blood pressure (−3.36 mm Hg [−4.93
to −1.78 mm Hg]), maximum oxygen consumption (3.93 mL/min per kg [2.96-4.91 mL/min]),
and resting heart rate (−5.51 beats/min [−7.37 to −3.66 beats/min]). Most studies
(16) were classified as high quality, and we found no evidence of publication bias.
Conclusion
We found significant cardiometabolic and fitness improvements following group sport
participation, primarily recreational soccer. These findings suggest that group sport
interventions are promising strategies for reducing cardiometabolic risk in adults.
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
BMI (body mass index), CVD (cardiovascular disease), DBP (diastolic blood pressure), FBG (fasting blood glucose), HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c), HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), HIIT (high-intensity interval training), HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance), LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), NCD (noncommunicable chronic disease), PA (physical activity), RHR (resting heart rate), SBP (systolic blood pressure), TG (triglycerides), V˙O2max (maximum oxygen consumption)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 20, 2018
Footnotes
For editorial comment, see page 1343
Grant Support: Dr Lobelo's participation in this research was supported by the National Institute Of Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30-DK-111024. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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- Cardiovascular Benefits of Group Sport Interventions: Importance of Improved Fitness in Risk ReductionMayo Clinic ProceedingsVol. 93Issue 10
- PreviewAvailable evidence suggests the implementation of recreational group sports as an additional strategy in the prevention of cardiovascular disease events, with potential for broad public health impact.1-3 A previous review and meta-analysis evaluating the health benefits of specific sport disciplines suggested that both running and soccer can improve cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cardiovascular function.1 The authors concluded that there is some conditional research evidence on benefits of running for cardiometabolic fitness parameters, body composition, and postural balance, and group sports such as soccer improve cardiometabolic fitness, muscular performance, balance, and cardiac function; however, there is less evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on health benefits of other sport disciplines.
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