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Exploring social and environmental factors affecting adolescents' participation in physical activity

University of Birmingham, UK, s.dagkas{at}bham.ac.uk

Afroditi Stathi

Middlesex University, UK, a.stathi{at}mdx.ac.uk

This study explores the social factors that influence young people's participation in school and out of school physical activities. Fifty-two 16-year-old adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds in one suburban and one inner-city secondary school in the Midlands, UK, participated in group interviews which explored their perceptions about physical activity and the constraints they had experienced. The study suggests that involvement in physical activity is linked with students' social class, home environment and economic status. The level of participation of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds was limited compared to their higher socioeconomic counterparts. Furthermore, adolescents' `cultural', physical' and `economic' capital were salient factors in their involvement in physical activity settings. This study stresses the need for better and wider provision of structured physical activity in schools in economically deprived areas to compensate for lower participation levels.

Key Words: environment • physical activity • physical education • social class • socioeconomic status

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European Physical Education Review, Vol. 13, No. 3, 369-384 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1356336X07081800


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Dagkas, S. Articles by Stathi, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?