Keep supporting organized sports programs for children; it may set them up for a healthy life. A recent longitudinal study found long-term health benefits for youth who participated in organized sports from middle to high school and/or college. Even after 12 years, young people who participated in organized sports continued to show higher physical activity levels and superior test results in health biomarkers such as body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and more, when compared with young people who did not take part in organized sports or who quit at earlier ages.

Find the study in Preventive Medicine Reports (2020; 19, 101107).