{"id":4806,"date":"2021-03-24T15:56:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T15:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=4806"},"modified":"2021-03-25T09:47:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T09:47:33","slug":"researchers-investigate-inequalities-in-sport-and-physical-activity-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2021\/03\/24\/researchers-investigate-inequalities-in-sport-and-physical-activity-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers investigate inequalities in sport and physical activity participation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Martial<\/a><\/p>\n

To celebrate the launch of our new\u00a0Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre website<\/a>, we are shining a spotlight on our sports and physical activity research groups.<\/p>\n

Colleagues within our Sport Industry Research Group<\/a> (SIRG) have been conducting numerous studies into sport and physical activity participation. Professor Simon Shibli<\/a> has kindly been speaking with us about the research . . .<\/p>\n

“In 2015, the UK government\u2019s strategy for sport and physical activity, Sporting Future<\/em><\/a>, detailed a fundamental shift from \u2018sport for sport\u2019s sake\u2019 to recognition of the wider value of sport and physical activity as a force for social good.\u00a0 Sport and physical activity contribute positively to physical and mental wellbeing, as well as to individual, community and economic development. My colleagues, led by Dr Larissa Davies<\/strong><\/a>, have conducted numerous studies for the Government, national-level sports agencies such as Sport England<\/a>, and national governing bodies of sport to demonstrate the social value and social return on investment delivered by sport and physical activity.\u00a0 Some of this research is cited 11 times in Sport England\u2019s latest (2021) Uniting The Movement<\/a> strategy. Whilst the benefits of sport and physical activity are increasingly supported by compelling evidence, not all people benefit equally, with the data showing steep social gradients amongst certain demographic groups that have been stubbornly static over many years.\u00a0 Figure 1 shows the proportion of the adult population in England who met the Chief Medical Officer\u2019s<\/a> recommended level of physical activity in 2020 according to Sport England\u2019s Active Lives Survey.<\/p>\n

\"Figure<\/a>

Figure 1: Adult physical activity levels in England 2020 [Source: Sport England, Active Lives Survey]<\/p><\/div>\n

“In general, men are more active than women; younger people are more active than older people; people with a disability are less active than those without; White British people are more active than people from other ethnic groups; and people from higher socio-economic groups are more active than people from lower socio-economic groups.\u00a0 Socio-economic status is of particular importance because it is linked to numerous inequalities simultaneously.\u00a0 In a recent piece of research looking at racism and racial inequality in sport, we found the harrowing statistic that 31% of all Pakistani people in England live in the nation\u2019s 10% most deprived areas.\u00a0 Deprivation manifests itself as low income; high unemployment, reduced access to education and training; poor health; a greater threat of crime; and adverse housing conditions. Under these conditions it is not difficult to see that taking part in sport and physical activity would not be high on people\u2019s priority lists. Looking across all ethnic groups we found that deprivation was negatively and significantly associated with being physically active.<\/p>\n

“To compound the problem of inequality in participation (or demand), the supply of opportunities in deprived areas is below average.\u00a0 Research we have conducted for England Boxing<\/a> and Sport England shows that deprived areas are underserved with sports clubs and sport facilities.\u00a0 Local authority sports halls and swimming pools justify their subsidy on the basis of providing opportunities for disadvantaged people, but the reality is that disadvantaged people are underrepresented in these facilities\u2019 usage statistics.<\/p>\n

“What then is the solution to enabling people who are inactive to obtain the benefits of sport and physical activity?\u00a0 Social gradients have persisted ever since we started conducting national surveys on sport and physical activity in the 1970s.\u00a0 Thus, if we do what we\u2019ve always done \u2013 isolated interventions \u2013 then we\u2019ll get what we\u2019ve always got: stubbornly static inequality.\u00a0 Now is the time for more radical approaches that deal with the systemic nature of inequality.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure that when Boris Johnson started using the expression \u2018levelling up\u2019 he was referring to sport and physical activity, but that is precisely what is needed if the benefits of being active are to be shared more widely.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To celebrate the launch of our new\u00a0Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre website, we are shining a spotlight on our sports and physical activity research groups. Colleagues within our Sport…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3083,"featured_media":4811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Researchers investigate inequalities in sport and physical activity participation","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,104,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research","category-sport"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2021\/03\/martial-arts.jpg?fit=1920%2C1277&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KEAX-1fw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4100,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/10\/15\/university-sport-physical-activity-research-cluster-meeting-12th-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":4806,"position":0},"title":"University Sport & Physical Activity Research Cluster Meeting (12th November)","author":"Mark Greene","date":"October 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The upcoming University Sport & Physical Activity Research Cluster Meeting (12th November; 9am \u2013 11.30am; HC.0.29)\u00a0aims\u00a0to\u00a0bring together\u00a0colleagues involved and\u00a0interested in the area of university sport and active recreation (including physical activity). 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