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COMPLETED

Determinants of Sport and Physical Activity
amongst Young Women

Project Background
TSA was contracted by Sport England to undertake research into young women’s participation in sport and physical activity. Research has identified that young men are more likely to be involved in sport and physical activity than young women. In order to drive up young women’s participation in sport, Sport England wanted to understand the factors that influence their participation in sport and physical activity. There is little research that attempts to explore these issues using a qualitative design.

The Study
The aim of this research was to improve understanding of the determinants of participation in sports and physical activity, among young women aged 15-19 years old. The main determinants explored included key transitions in young women’s lives (such as moving from school to college, college to university, education to employment etc), environmental issues (such as provision of facilities) and social/psychological issues (such as the influence of families, friends, perceptions of sport etc).

The research was conducted in three main stages:

• 75 face-to-face interviews with 15-19 year-olds in two locations: the South East and West Midlands regions of England
• Analysis of weekly diary records
• Case study analysis to examine determinants in greater depth (e.g. those reporting different levels of physical activity participation although living in the same locality).

The study found that young women who do more sports and physical activity participation have more positive images of ‘sport’, positive perceptions of their own ability, low self-consciousness, and a supporting influence of their friends and family. The case studies demonstrated the particular importance of friends in determining levels of participation and the negative impact of life transitions.

Timetable
The project started in March 2005, and was completed in May 2006. A final report is now available.

Project Staff
Louise Cox, Lester Coleman, and Debi Roker were responsible for this project.

November 2006