Sheffield study finds poorer students are less likely to play sports or keep fit

Students from poorer backgrounds are less likely to play sport or do physical activity at university, research from Sheffield Hallam University has found.
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The main barriers to playing sport were found to be down to cost of being part of a sports team, lack of time due to academic commitments, part-time working or their social life taking precedence and limited prior knowledge of and participation in sport before starting university.

Funded by British Universities and Colleges Sport and published in the Sport, Education and Society journal, the study surveyed over 700 students from 20 universities. It found those that had played sport and physical activity prior to starting university were more likely to continue, regardless of socio-economic group.

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New students were unlikely to take up a sport that they hadn’t done previously.

Time and money are key issues affecting student sportTime and money are key issues affecting student sport
Time and money are key issues affecting student sport

Dr Kerry Griffiths of the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam, said: “Evidence suggests that participation in sport and physical activity declines as young people reach university age and it is clear that universities should have a key role in maintaining existing participation as well as in engaging and sustaining participation in potential new participants.

“There is also evidence to show that people from low socio-economic groups are less likely to participate in sport and physical activity at all ages.

“Universities could build on their outreach programmes with schools or local communities to look at ways in which they could help to develop sporting habits at an earlier age.”

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She said support and encouragement was needed for those who did take part in sport to continue.

Dr Griffiths has written an article about this research for website The Conversation.

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