PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pekka Oja
AU  - Sylvia Titze
AU  - Sami Kokko
AU  - Urho M Kujala
AU  - Ari Heinonen
AU  - Paul Kelly
AU  - Pasi Koski
AU  - Charlie Foster
TI  - Health benefits of different sport disciplines for adults: systematic review of observational and intervention studies with meta-analysis
AID  - 10.1136/bjsports-2014-093885
DP  - 2015 Apr 01
TA  - British Journal of Sports Medicine
PG  - 434--440
VI  - 49
IP  - 7
4099  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/7/434.short
4100  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/7/434.full
SO  - Br J Sports Med2015 Apr 01; 49
AB  - The aim was to assess the quality and strength of evidence for the health benefits of specific sport disciplines. Electronic search yielded 2194 records and the selection resulted in 69 eligible studies (47 cross-sectional, 9 cohort, 13 intervention studies). 105 comparisons between participation and non-participation groups in 26 different sport disciplines were reported. Moderately strong evidence showed that both running and football improve aerobic fitness and cardiovascular function at rest, and football reduces adiposity. Conditional evidence showed that running benefits metabolic fitness, adiposity and postural balance, and football improves metabolic fitness, muscular performance, postural balance, and cardiac function. Evidence for health benefits of other sport disciplines was either inconclusive or tenuous. The evidence base for the health benefits of specific sports disciplines is generally compromised by weak study design and quality. Future research should address the health effects of different sport disciplines using rigorous research designs.