Sports Team Participation and Wellbeing Among South Asian Adolescents in Minnesota

Abstract

Despite evidence that sports participation is associated with positive outcomes among adolescents, there is limited research on South Asian adolescents, in particular. Using data from the 2022 Minnesota Students Survey (N = 1,517), this study aims to examine the sport participation rates of South Asian students in Minnesota and how it affects their mental wellbeing and academic performance. Participation rates were variable by ethnic subgroup, with the highest being among multiethnic students (60%) and the lowest being from Bangladeshi students (32%). Logistic regression models indicated that sport participation was associated with lower odds of elevated anxiety (OR = 0.76, 95% CI [0.60, 0.96]) and depressive symptoms (OR = 0.46, 95% CI [0.34, 0.62]) and higher odds of receiving mostly A’s (OR = 1.58, 95% CI [1.19, 2.12]) among South Asian adolescents after controlling for assigned sex, grade, access to resources, number of non-sport activities. These findings suggest that sport participation could be a protective factor for mental health and boost academic performance among South Asian students. Disaggregating racial data allows for meaningful insights about specific ethnic subgroups, informing targeted intervention and public health initiatives.