Table 3

Aims, sample characteristics, and findings of studies of young people’s views about physical activity: an illustration taken from the evidence tables

Study	Aims	Sample characteristics	Key findings reported by authors	Young people’s views (judged by reviewers)
Sports Council Wales (1994)³⁰	• To examine young people’s feelings and attitudes about sport	Location: Wales (Pontypool, Haverfordwest, Wrexham, Swansea, and Maesteg)	• Young people tend to operate with a restricted definition of the word “sport” where it is taken to mean organised, rule governed, and competitive activity	Perceptions of/meanings of physical activity
	• To explore the meanings of sports for young people and how they view their own involvement and the involvement of others	Sample number: 60	• Pleasures associated with sport differ depending on degree to which it is perceived as recreational—work ethic prevalent.	• Distinction between organised, competitive “real” sport and “recreational sport for leisure”.
		Age range: 11–16	• Egalitarian views widespread among young people as regards own and peers’ participation but tendency to revert to gender stereotypes when discussing adult participation.	Barriers
		Sex: mixed	• Body image important for participation, especially for young women.	• PE teachers’ favouritism of young people who do well at sport.
		Social class: not stated		• Young women’s concern over their physical appearance.
		Ethnicity: all described as “white”. A minority were Welsh speaking.		• Bad weather a problem for team games.
		Other information: sample over represented young women and aimed to include those less committed to sport.		Facilitators
		Exclusions: none reported.		• More encouragement at sports clubs for “non-sporty” people.
				• Making sport more fun
				• Provision of more opportunities to compete for young women.