Benefits and adverse experiences associated with child and adolescent participation in parkour: a scoping review

Abstract

Emerging research highlights the potential of non-traditional lifestyle sports, such as parkour, in promoting child and adolescent health, well-being and engagement in physical activity. This scoping review aimed to identify and summarise the current evidence-base relating to the benefits, adverse experiences and research gaps associated with child and adolescent participation in parkour. A literature search was conducted across multiple platforms/databases, including EBSCOhost, Ovid, ProQuest, SAGE Journals Online, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Taylor & Francis Online. Findings of included studies were extracted and synthesised via descriptive content analysis. 10152 studies were initially identified, with 11 included in the review. Included studies identified numerous physical, social, psychological, executive function and other benefits of parkour. Minimal evidence explored parkour-related adverse experiences. Future studies should employ more rigorous methodologies and investigate adverse experiences, including injury risk factors and preventative strategies, to allow the benefits of parkour to be realised in safe contexts for child populations.