Latest research on physical activity among children released by Sport NI and Sport Ireland
Sport Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland and Healthy Ireland have released their latest research on physical activity among children. The research, conducted in 2022 through the Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA) provides valuable insights into post-pandemic sport participation and physical activity levels across the island of Ireland.
Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Ireland will utilise the findings from this research study to develop policies and programmes aimed at achieving the targets set out in their respective governments’ sports strategies.
The third iteration of the CSPPA study, which surveyed over 8,500 young people aged 10-19 years old, offers important insights into the state of children’s sports and physical activity across the Island of Ireland.
Among children in Northern Ireland, 17% reported meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines of one hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day, marking a 4% increase since 2018. Primary students reported an average of 61 minutes of physical education per week, with post primary students reporting an average of 73 minutes.
Across the island of Ireland children’s sports participation rates have increased since 2018, with 96% of primary and 84% of post-primary students participating in some form of sport at least once a week. However, there remains a significant drop in girls’ participation in school sports at the post-primary level, worsening since 2018.
Perhaps surprisingly, the perceived impact of COVID-19 restrictions on post-primary students was more positive than negative on overall physical activity (51% positive vs 26% negative), fitness levels (50% positive vs 22% negative) and overall health (53% positive vs 18% negative).
Caption: John Hart (Head of Policy & Innovation Sport NI), Prof. Catherine Woods (CSSPA 2022 principal investigator, University of Limerick), Benny Cullen (Sport Ireland Director of Research & Innovation) and Colin O’Hehir, (Climate Change, SDGs and Physical Activity Lead at Healthy Ireland).
Richard Archibald, Director of Sport at Sport NI: “Sport NI is pleased to have been part of the all-island collaboration which produced the Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study. It is encouraging to see improvements in participation rates across the island of Ireland but there is still much work to be done. At Sport NI we are passionate about the power of sport to change lives. Sport and physical activity have a positive impact on children’s physical and mental wellbeing, academic achievement, and can provide a sense of belonging and connection.”
“This report highlights that we face the same challenges across the island when it comes to getting our children more active be it through Community Sport, School Sport, PE or Active Travel, and we welcome the opportunity that CSPPA brings to share our insights and explore solutions together.”
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, Dr Úna May: “Sport Ireland’s commitment to research underpins our decisions at every step. The 2022 CSPPA report is important as it gives us valuable insights into Ireland’s activity levels as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work with our National Governing Bodies, Local Sports Partnerships, and other partners to address key areas and remove barriers to engagement in sport for the whole population of Ireland.”
Key Findings (Northern Ireland)
- Twenty-one percent (21%) of primary and 16% of post-primary students reported meeting national physical activity guidelines. These proportions are higher than in 2018 (20% primary and 11% post-primary students).
- Forty-three percent (43%) are meeting the World Health Organisation recommendation for muscle strength and conditioning. More boys than girls meet this guideline.
- Seventy-three percent (73%) of primary and 71% of post-primary students reported participating in community sport at least once a week, compared to 65% and 49% respectively in 2018.
- 2022 saw a significant decrease in the number of post-primary students who reported never participating in community sport (16%) when compared to 2018 (47%).
- Ninety-two percent (92%) of primary and 76% of post-primary students reported participating in school sport at least once a week. This represented an increase at both primary (65%) and post-primary school (58%) since 2018.
- Meeting the PE guidelines of at least 120 minutes per week remains a challenge for primary (8%) and post-primary (20%) students.
- Forty percent (40%) of primary and 18% of post-primary school students reported active travel to or from school. This represents an increase at primary school level (36%) and the figures remain unchanged for post-primary school students since 2018.
The full report is available to download here.