Impact of sport training on healthy behavior in a group of 108 adolescents: a pilot study using S.M.A.R.T. questionnaire

S.M.A.R.T. questionnaire is the acronym of the Italian words for Sport, Movement, Eating Habits and Sleeping Patterns, Relationships and Technologies developed in Naples (Italy) by a pool of researchers from different backgrounds in order to assess pre-adolescents’ awareness about the effects of unhealthy lifestyles and the risk of an incorrect use of technologies. The questionnaire presents 5 sub-tests evaluating 5 domains: Sport, Movements, Eating Habits and Sleeping Patterns, Relationships and Technologies. The sample consist 108 pre-adolescents (aged between 11 and 13), divided in three groups of 36 subjects each: NS (not practicing sports), IS (practicing individual sports), TS (practicing team sports). The ratio males/females of this group were 42/66. The study investigates only Eating Habits and Sleeping Patterns (split by each of the indexes), Relationship and Technology, due to the well-known correlation of Sports and Movements. Both IS and TS record higher scores compares to NS in Eating Habits and Sleeping Patterns dimensions. Males in IS record higher scores than males in NS, whilst males in TS don’t present significant difference compared to their equivalent in NS. IS shows higher scores in the Relationships dimension compared to NS, in particular male subjects, whilst female subjects within the same groups (IS and NS) do not present significant differences. The TS did not show any significant differences in scoring this dimension compared to NS. Females in both TS and IS record higher scores in Technology than the ones in NS. Sport participation, either in group or individual, has a positive effect on Sleeping Patterns and Eating Habits. In regards to Technologies, our hypothesis is that the lack of relational contexts is compensated by its use, in particular with females in NS; whilst, IS (mostly male subjects) might present a stronger attitude towards relationships in person. TS (males in particular) might present instead the need to compensate relationships through technologies due to the fact that usually Team Sport attendance is due to the lack of socialising.