Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

61

Abstract

Youth sport has been highly researched, exploring both positive and negative health impacts (Adetunji & Akendutire, 2017; Brengtsson et al., 2025; Conway, 2024; Hoffman et al., 2022). Despite the high prevalence of youth sport participation, and variability of health-related outcomes, there has been no research regarding the impact youth sport participation has on occupational balance, an occupational therapy concept that has been linked with overall health and well-being (Park et al., 2021). A mixed-methods, cross-sectional survey study was used to gain better insights into the impact youth sport participation may have on occupational balance. A sample size of 466 Nevada Youth Sport (NYS) athletes, between the ages of 8 and 13 years, each completed an Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-11) that was adapted to be more readable for the target population's age. Sport-related demographic information was collected for comparisons. Results showed that participants generally indicated good overall occupational balance, with a median adapted OBQ-11 score of 33, and a mean score of 33.97. Respondents who participate in sport for 1 hour or less per week showed significantly worse occupational balance than individuals with a higher frequency of sport participation (p = .029). There was no statistically significant difference of total OBQ-11 scores among types of sport, competitive levels, or years of sport experience. Results of this survey study suggest that youth sport participation may be associated with higher occupational balance, particularly among those participating for more than one hour per week. These findings highlight the potential relevance of youth sport as a meaningful occupation in supporting occupational balance during childhood.

Keywords

Balance; Occupation; Occupational Balance; Occupational Therapy; Sport; Youth Sport

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy

File Format

PDF

File Size

994 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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