Title IX greatly expanded adolescent females’ participation in athletic activities, which may have led to health benefits that extend into later life. Previous research has not explored whether health benefits arising from Title IX differ by race or ethnicity and has not examined women at older ages when health problems become more evident. This article examines the effect of Title IX on racial and ethnicity disparities in health outcomes by considering women aged 42–52 years. White women in these age groups exhibit declines in their self-assessed health status and increases in many health-related ailments, consistent with other evidence on temporal trends in health for women in this age range. Compared to white women, both Black and Hispanic women report the opposite pattern, as there is greater improvement in the post-Title IX period in overall health status. Black and Hispanic women also exhibit greater declines relative to white women in smoking rates post-Title IX, which should confer a broad range of risk reductions. The more favorable impact of Title IX on Black and Hispanic women indicates that investments in women’s sports may enhance both equity and efficiency.

The decision of whether to allow a young patient with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to continue to participate in sports is complex and multi-factorial. The positive physical and psychosocial impact of sports participation must be weighed against the potential adverse events associated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Arrhythmias appear to be more prevalent in athletes and occur more frequently during physical activity or competition/practice, but there is growing evidence that device therapy is effective in athletes across a wide range of competitive sports. Failure of a device to convert a life-threatening arrhythmia, major injury from a shock, and increased lead failure have thus far not been reported in the prospective Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Sports Registry, but follow-up remains relatively short. Thoughtful consideration of disease state, arrhythmia risk, and the potential dangers of device therapy during the desired sports is imperative before allowing participation. Frank discussion with children and families regarding the possibility of shocks during sports, as well as at other times, is imperative. Ongoing and future studies will help guide these decisions.