Sport And Children - More Opportunity, Less Participation?

An overwhelming majority of adults believes that children have more opportunity to play sport than they had, but are less active. This is one of the findings of a new Nestlй Family Monitor study on 'Sport and the Family' undertaken with the Youth Sport Trust.

Another key finding is the support amongst four in five adults for the introduction of a minimum amount of time for school physical education.

Children less active

The study found that 73% of adults believed that children were less active than they were as youngsters yet 63% believed that the opportunities to play sport had increased. ABs in particular (71%) felt that opportunities had increased as opposed to 59% of DEs.

Amongst the reasons given for children leading more sedentary lives are the competition from other leisure activities and parents' fear of letting children go out alone.

According to 76% of parents, their children watch over six hours of TV per week and one in six (16%) say that their children watch over 21 hours.

Three quarters of the sample agreed that children are getting less exercise because parents are afraid to let them go out alone.

According to Professor David Kirk of the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University, who helped develop the study for Nestlй, the time spent watching TV may not be as significant a factor influencing activity levels as it first appears to be.

'As most parents know, children need rest as well as activity. Recent articles in the USA are showing that it is possible to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle where some sedentary activity like TV viewing provides recovery time for active and growing youngsters,' commented Professor Kirk.

Professor Kirk believes that some sports clubs need funding support and more trained coaches and administrators if they are to be supportive and friendly environments for all youngsters.

'In many cases, it is only the talented youngsters who get to play on the team. And it is unfortunately the case that teasing and bullying by peers is common place in sport settings,' added Professor Kirk.

The Professor believes that the increasing availability of private business ventures that cater for children of all ability will help. He also points to the growing importance of organisations such as Kids' Clubs Network, which is helping to develop more sporting opportunities in after school clubs.

Support for physical education minimum

However the main opportunity, according to Professor Kirk, rests with the introduction of a minimum time allocation to school physical education. In this, he has the support of the public with over four in five (82%) of all adults agreeing with him.

More women support competition

Another key finding in the Nestlй Family Monitor is that the British public opposes competitive sport at the nursery level. It is acceptable, according to 79%, once the child, aged five, goes to primary school. Interestingly, a higher proportion of women than men support competitive sporting events at both the nursery (30% v 20%) and primary (83% v 75%) levels.

Not surprisingly, boxing tops the list of sports that parents will not allow their children to participate in. More worryingly for rugby enthusiasts is the significant 23% of parents who will not allow their children to play the game. The figure is inflated by those who think rugby is unsuitable for girls but nonetheless, 59% of the figure just think that it is 'too dangerous'.

Women are generally more censorious over the participation of their children in sports. From a list of five sports -- boxing, rugby, martial arts, roller hockey and cricket -- 37% of men would let their children play all of them compared with just 21% of women.

Notes:

• The Nestlй Family Monitor study on 'Sport and the Family' was undertaken with the Youth Sport Trust. 543 adults were interviewed by MORI throughout Britain between 5 April and 23 April 2000.
• Copies of the study are available from Corporate Affairs Department, Nestlй UK, St. George's House, Croydon CR9 1NR or via www.nestlefamilymonitor.co.uk
• The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to improve sporting provision for children in the UK. Its mission is to develop and implement, in close partnership with other organisations, quality physical education and sport programmes for all young people aged 18 months to 18 years in schools and the community.
• The Nestlй Family Monitor number nine is part of a series of research studies into Family Life in Britain undertaken on behalf of Nestlй UK by MORI.