Not enough 14 year old girls are getting adequate exercise at school: Report

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 2 2012

According to new research into sports and physical education (PE) at school by the Women's Sport & Fitness Foundation (WSF) suggests that the embarrassment of PE classes can put young women off exercise for the rest of their life.

The report adds that there should be more female-friendly activities, such as roller-blading and Zumba classes, to encourage more girls to participate, thus making them more confident about their sporting prowess.

The WSF report found that 60 per cent of eight-year-old boys and girls in primary school did similar levels of activity: at least an hour, five days a week. Yet by the time they got to 14, only 31 per cent of girls took regular exercise, compared with 50 per cent of their male peers.

WSF is a government-supported charity; its stated aim is “closing the gender gap in physical exercise”; its slogan is “Changing the Game, for girls”. WSF claims that most girls grow up believing sport is just for boys.

There are not enough female sporting role models for girls, according to Sue Tibballs of WSF. Another key WSF complaint is that if the only activities on offer are competitive sports like netball and hockey. “It is well-known that schoolchildren are less active than they should be. This problem is particularly severe for girls,” said chief executive Sue Tibballs. “We need schools and the Government to urgently address this issue, and create policies that will keep our children fit and healthy. The priority needs to be getting all children active, not just focusing on the sporty ones.”

Of the girls, 45% said sport was too competitive while 48% said they felt it was not feminine getting hot and sweaty. And 46% said they did not like the activities their school offered. But the report also shows that three quarters of girls say they do actually want to be more active.