Time use and health and wellbeing outcomes of sport school students in Australia

Purpose: Adolescents who aspire to excel in both sport and academics are provided the opportunity to pursue their ambitions in a focused and integrated manner at sport schools. Sport schools have been established internationally, yet previous literature tells us little about the outcomes of these students. This study investigated: (1) differences in the time commitments and self-reported health and wellbeing of ‘matched’ samples of sport school and non-sport school students, and (2) the impact of weekly sport volume on sport school students’ health and wellbeing outcomes and burnout. Methods: Two hundred and thirty-three students (n = 187 student-athletes; n = 46 non-sport school students) from one large metropolitan school in Australia completed an online survey that captured information about time use, sport involvement and health and wellbeing. Results: Sport school students spent less time in sedentary leisure and similar time studying to non-sport school students and had better general health and social and emotional wellbeing than non-sport school students. Conclusion: It was concluded that the flexible and integrated structure of sport schools may provide an appropriately balanced and supportive environment for student-athletes.