Perceived barriers to sports participation among adolescent girls from low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods

Abstract

This study examined perceived barriers to sports participation among adolescent girls from low socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods. A total of 11 semi-structured focus groups were conducted, involving 44 adolescent girls who were not engaged in organized sports. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes, and revealed that; 1) Participants prioritized homework, household duties and socializing with friends over sports. 2) Girls refrained from participating in sport due to fear of not fitting in because of ethnic background and reluctance to participate alone. Moreover, 3) feelings of inadequacy in sporting abilities, 4) bodily discomfort, and negative body image were perceived as barriers. 5) Finally, gender stereotypes, depicting sports as unsuitable for girls, along with negative attitudes from boys, further discouraged girls’ engagement. These findings offer a nuanced understanding of the barriers faced by this underrepresented group, informing the design of future interventions aimed at promoting sports participation among adolescent girls from low SES neighbourhoods.

Keywords:

• Sports participation
• girls
• low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods
• barriers
• focus groups

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participating girls for their time, involvement and sharing important perspectives, as well as teachers from the participating schools in supporting the recruiting process as well as collecting informed consent from parents.

Author contributions

C.K.L. led the writing of this manuscript with significant contributions and critical comments from C.S.P. H.R.J. contributed to the data collection and analyses. J.H.C. and C.D.K. contributed to the writing process by reviewing and editing. All authors contributed to the final outline and critically revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial competing interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation [grant number NNF20SH00]. The foundation was not involved in any parts of the study.