Levelling the playing field for youth sport
International research reveals stark wealth inequalities in sport participation and activity levels among children and young people.
Key Findings
- Children and adolescents from affluent families are almost twice as likely to take part in organised sport compared to those from less privileged backgrounds.
- This gap in sport participation is more pronounced among children than teenagers, suggesting early action is key to tackle inequalities.
- Kids from well-off families are also 20% more likely to achieve the 60-minute daily physical activity target recommended by health experts.
- Schools, families, and communities need more support to make sure all young people, no matter their background, can take part in sport and lead an active lifestyle.
Source*
Owen, K.B., Nau, T., Reece, L.J. et al. Fair play? Participation equity in organised sport and physical activity among children and adolescents in high income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 19, 27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01263-7
*All evidence briefs are informed by one or more peer reviewed research studies. All study publications used to inform this article are listed at the bottom of this brief with links.
What's this about?
Tackling barriers like high registration fees and limited access to quality facilities is crucial for making sport more accessible.
International research reveals significant differences in sport participation and physical activity among young people based on their family background. While both areas show wealth-related gaps, socioeconomic status has a stronger connection to sport than to overall activity levels.
Children from wealthier families are almost twice as likely to play sport compared to those from less privileged backgrounds. This gap is greatest for young children and narrows a bit as they become teenagers. Encouragingly, once children start playing sport, their background doesn’t seem to be linked with how long they continue.
When it comes to overall activity levels, there are still differences based on wealth, but they are less pronounced than in sport. Wealthier children are about 20% more likely to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
Earlier studies looking at links between family income and youth activity levels often found mixed results. Researchers from the University of Sydney believed that these inconsistencies were caused by studies that often grouped overlapping but distinct areas together — like organised sport, physical activity minutes, and active play — which might each be affected differently by family income and resources.
To get a better picture, and examine these areas separately, they reviewed 104 studies involving over 1.3 million young people aged 4-17 from Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.1
In discussing their findings, the researchers stress that distinct strategies are needed to tackle inequalities in sport and physical activity.
For example, creating more safe and fun outdoor spaces could help more kids reach recommended daily activity goals. However, making sport more accessible will likely require tackling different barriers such as high registration fees and limited access to quality facilities.
To drive effective action, the authors point to WHO recommendations, which include changing government funding, implementing supportive policies, and ensuring more joined-up action.2
Research Toolkit
What can we learn from these findings?
Key implications
- MAKING SPORT ACCESSIBLE
- Reducing costs for things like equipment, uniforms, and travel, can lower barriers to entry and create more opportunities for all students to participate in sport.
- STARTING EARLY
- Engaging primary school children and their families can foster early participation and lay a strong foundation for lifelong healthy habits.
- CLOSING ACTIVITY GAPS
- Looking for simple ways to incorporate movement into young people’s routines can encourage 60 daily minutes, whether that’s during school (e.g., active lessons, brain breaks) or beyond (e.g., active travel promotion, club partnerships).
- SUPPORTING TEENS TO STAY INVOLVED
- Actively supporting secondary students in managing their time can help prevent drop out and ensure they can balance sport commitments alongside increased academic and personal responsibilities.
What else?
- LISTENING TO STUDENTS
- Gathering input from students helps create more effective and inclusive strategies targeting sport participation, considering individual interests, cultural backgrounds, and local contexts.
- PROMOTING BENEFITS
- Highlighting the benefits of sport and physical activity beyond health across school communities could increase engagement among staff, parents, and students, and foster a supportive environment that encourages participation.
- ADVOCATING FOR WIDER ACTION
- Engaging school leaders and local stakeholders about the need for increased funding and resources for sport can make a difference. Every voice advocating for young people counts!
- USING AVAILABLE RESOURCES
- Check out this policy brief, outlining what the WHO believes must be tackled in order to address inequalities in physical activity. They highlight funding, policies, laws, frameworks, partnerships and more.2
Related Topics
- Access
- Inequalities
- Sport
- Physical activity
- Primary school
- Secondary school
- Leisure
Research Sources
1. Owen et al., 2022; 2. World Health Organisation, 2021, 'Fair Play: Building a strong physical activity system for more active people.
