Athletic participation and its impact on self-concept, body image, and physical fitness in Saudi female adolescents: a cross-sectional comparison between athletes and non-athletes

The decline in female participation in school sports is undesirable because of the fact that it is considered to be for boys only. It is in light of this, the study was carried out to examine socio-cultural determinants of female students’ participation in school sports in Kogi State, Nigeria. The population was 3,290 female students while 310 respondents were sampled for this study. Three hypotheses were postulated and tested using inferential statistics of Chi-square to analyze the data. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The findings show that gender, cultural and religious belief served as a significant determinant of female participation in sports. Based on the finding, it was concluded that both male and female students should be encouraged to develop right attitude towards sports participation in schools so as to enhance gender equality in sports. There is need to sensitize the general public through various agents of socialization on how to change the negative cultural belief of people towards female participation in sports.

Between 1972 and 1978 U.S. high schools rapidly increased their female athletic participation rates - to approximately the same level as their male athletic participation rates - in order to comply with Title IX, a policy change that provides a unique quasi-experiment in female athletic participation. This paper examines the causal implications of this expansion in female sports participation by using variation in the level of boys’ athletic participation across states before Title IX to instrument for the change in girls’ athletic participation. Analysis of differences in outcomes across states in changes between pre- and post-cohorts reveals that a 10-percentage point rise in state-level female sports participation generates a 1 percentage point increase in female college attendance and a 1 to 2 percentage point rise in female labor force participation. Furthermore, greater opportunities to play sports leads to greater female participation in previously male-dominated occupations, particularly in high-skill occupations.

The under-representation of women in sports in Kenya is a significant issue, with lower levels of participation evident in various studies. Despite this, there is a lack of research specifically addressing the role of peer support in sports participation and evaluate the role of family support in female participation in sports among trainees in teacher training colleges in Kenya. The main objective of the study was to assess the role of peer and family support in female sports participation among trainees in teacher training colleges in Kenya. The study was based on the Socio-ecological Theory. The study targeted 1 private and 19 public Teachers Training Colleges in Kenya. These colleges were organized into regions: the Rift Valley, Nyanza, Coast, Eastern, Western, Central and Nairobi. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted to conduct the research. The study target population was 672 female participants, whereas the sample size which was calculated using the sample determination table by Adam (2020) was 279. Structured questionnaires were administered to the respondents with the assistance of trained research assistants. Data was analyzed descriptively. Results demonstrated that (42.5%) of the respondents agreed there was meaningful support from their families and peers with a mean (3.9) and S.D. (1.22). The study established that social support from family and peers S.D. (1.15) were associated with female participation in sports. It was further concluded that strong social support systems, especially from family and peers (56.0%), are essential for sustaining female participation in sports, both recreationally and professionally. The study recommended that colleges improve their support systems by inculcating stronger involvement of families in their children’s sport participation.

Context The number of female athletes has grown exponentially since Title IX. However, little data exists on the proportion of women and girls who play each sport. Objective To quantify changes in female sports participation in high school sports from 1973 to 2018. Design Retrospective analysis of data from the National Federation of State High School Associations Participation Survey. Setting US high schools. Participants US high school athletes from 1973 to 2018. Main Outcome Measures Percentage of female participation for each high school sport in 5-year intervals; and changes in rates of participation by player gender and sport at designated intervals. Results From 1973 to 2018, the percentage of high school sports played by girls increased from 24.2% to 42.9% ([95%CI, 18.6,18.8], p < 0.0001). In the 14 sports included in our study, all had an increase in the percentage of female participation between 1973 and 2018. >80% of the increases occurred between 1973 and 1998 for all sports except lacrosse, ice hockey, football, and wrestling. Between 1998 and 2018, the percentage of girls playing each sport increased by less than 5% in all sports, except for ice hockey (11.5%, 95% CI 11.0, 12.0, p < 0.001) and wrestling (7.1%, 95% CI 6.9, 7.1, p < 0.001). Conclusions Girls’ participation in high school sports continues to grow not only in numbers but in the types of sports played. Between 1998 and 2018, the greatest increases were noted in ice hockey and wrestling, which had fewer than 1% female participation before 1998. Physicians providing care for female athletes should be aware of these changes and understand the potential injuries associated with these sports.

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of a general population toward female participation in sports and to replicate a previous study. The two areas investigated were (1) the perception of enhancement or detraction of femininity by girls' participation in athletics, and (2) whether different sports elicited different attitudes towards female participation in athletics. A town in Iowa was sampled. The results indicated that, in general, participation in sports neither detracted from nor enhanced femininity. Furthermore, most of the people wanted their daughters to play basketball, even though it neither detracted from nor enhanced femininity. The data suggest that traditional, rigid sex-role stereotypes were transcended and the opportunity set was dominant.

Background and Study Aim: This exploratory study tried to find out religiosity levels and perceptions of Turkish university students on female participation in sport. It also aimed to point out the possible relationship between religiosity and female participation in sport. Material and Methods: For this purpose, 412 university students attending to different faculties in Bartin University in Turkey completed Religiosity Inventory and Female Participation in Sport Questionnaire. The findings derived from both scales were evaluated using SPSS 22.0 program through descriptive statistics, t-Test and Anova Tests, and the relationships between two scales were calculated using Pearson Correlation Test and Regression Analysis. Gender and field of study were used as variables to elaborate the results of the scales. Results: According to the findings of the research, it was found that the university students had very high religiosity level and very positive perception of female participation in sport. Moreover, the study pointed out there is a weak positive correlation between the religiosity and female participation in sport which was contradictory to the study hypotheses of this research. Conclusions: As a conclusion, this study conveyed that religiosity does not have a negative effect on the female participation in sport.

23 Discrepancy between actual and ideal body image: comparisons of university students

Common Musculoskeletal Disorders in Women

Previous research has found that male high school athletes experience better outcomes than non-athletes, including higher educational attainment, more employment, and higher wages. Students self-select into athletics, however, so these may be selection effects rather than causal effects. To address this issue, I examine Title IX which provides a unique quasiexperiment in female athletic participation. Between 1972 and 1978, U.S. high schools rapidly increased their female athletic participation rates (to approximately the same level as their male athletic participation rates) in order to comply with Title IX. This paper uses variation in the level of boys' athletic participation across states before Title IX as an instrument for the change in girls' athletic participation over the 1970s. Analyzing differences in outcomes for both the pre- and post-Title IX cohorts across states, I find that a 10 percentage point rise in state-level female sports participation generates a 1 percentage point increase in female college attendance and a 1 to 2 percentage point rise in female labor force participation. Furthermore, greater opportunities to play sports leads to greater female participation in previously male-dominated occupations, particularly for high-skill occupations.

Previous research has found that male high school athletes experience better outcomes than non-athletes, including higher educational attainment, more employment, and higher wages. Students self-select into athletics, however, so these may be selection effects rather than causal effects. To address this issue, I examine Title IX which provides a unique quasiexperiment in female athletic participation. Between 1972 and 1978, U.S. high schools rapidly increased their female athletic participation rates (to approximately the same level as their male athletic participation rates) in order to comply with Title IX. This paper uses variation in the level of boys' athletic participation across states before Title IX as an instrument for the change in girls' athletic participation over the 1970s. Analyzing differences in outcomes for both the pre- and post-Title IX cohorts across states, I find that a 10 percentage point rise in state-level female sports participation generates a 1 percentage point increase in female college attendance and a 1 to 2 percentage point rise in female labor force participation. Furthermore, greater opportunities to play sports leads to greater female participation in previously male-dominated occupations, particularly for high-skill occupations.

ABSTRACTPurpose: To examine the association between environmental attributes of facilities, female participation in sport and according to life stage.Design: Articles were identified through seven databases and included if female specific results were reported on the association between attributes of the physical environment and sports participation.Findings: The search yielded 3118 articles, 24 met the criteria. Most studies were moderate quality and in terms of life stage focused on adolescent girls. Environmental attributes of facilities including perceived safety, convenient location and suitable amenities in sport and school facilities were associated with female participation in sport.Practical implications/research contribution: Attributes of the physical environment may influence female participation in sport. Conclusions are tentative based on minimal studies in this area. More attention to identify environmental attributes of facilities associated with encouraging female participation in sport across their transitional life stage is required to enhance understanding and guide facility development..

Objective: Females continue to participate in sport at lower rates than males. Girls who participate in sport gain many advantages. Even with programs designed to emphasize participation, some females continue with sport participation while others do not. Given the advantages and controversies surrounding testosterone and female sport, it is possible that testosterone may predispose females toward sport participation. Our objective was to determine if the second to fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio, a proxy for prenatal androgen exposure, correlates with sport participation throughout female adolescence and young adulthood. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of indirect prenatal androgen exposure (i.e., 2D:4D) was completed on 18–30-year-old women ( n = 92) using demographics, anthropometrics, sport-specific behaviour tendencies, and retrospective sport participation. Results: 2D:4D was not significantly correlated with total sport participation (TSP) ( r = −0.065, p = 0.538). Secondary analyses revealed significant correlations between TSP and maximum hand grip ( r = 0.406, p = 0.000) and the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQcomp ( r = 0.513475, p = 0.000), SOQgoal ( r = 0.253, p = 0.015), SOQwin ( r = 0.366, p = 0.000)). Conclusion: Although strength and competitiveness are strongly correlated with female sport participation, the impact of prenatal androgen exposure (i.e., 2D:4D) remains to be determined given its weak and negative association with female sport participation. Given that females participate in sport at lower rates than males, continuing to determine what factors influence sport participation is an important goal.

In the present study, the authors examined 53 female athletes drawn from 4 different sports and 55 female nonathletes. The athletes were divided into 2 groups: speed focused and technique focused. The nonathlete control group consisted of college women who had not participated in any varsity sports at the university level. Participants were measured on scales of body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with weight, and self-perceptions of body type and weight. Analyses revealed that (a) speed-focused athletes and technique-focused athletes did not differ significantly in their concerns about weight and body image, and (b) nonathletes expressed more dissatisfaction with their bodies than both of the athlete groups. Results are discussed with regard to associations between female sports participation and body image.

Background. It is well-documented that there are both social and cultural limitations that prevent women from engaging in sports. A complex combination of social constraints, religious resistance, cultural norms, male attitudes, coaching concerns, and parental worries limits women's participation in sports. Because these obstacles are interconnected and frequently reinforce one another, female athletes often encounter multiple difficulties simultaneously. Objectives. The researchers outlined several objectives to understand the actual issues surrounding female participation in sports. These objectives included identifying parents' concerns, social limitations, cultural traits and traditions, religious restrictions, coaching and training challenges, and the behavior of male elite athletes toward female athletes concerning sports participation. Methodology. A survey approach was used in this study to address the research objectives. A multistage sampling technique was used to select a sample that represented the population. A five-point Likert scale was used for data collection. The data were compiled and analyzed using various statistical tests, including regression, ANOVA, and Tukey’s test. Each statistical method plays a specific role in the data analysis. Results. The survey reveals that Societal Limitations are the strongest barrier to female elite athlete participation, followed by religious traditions, cultural norms, and male athletes' Attitudes towards females, which are also significant barriers to female sports participation. The results reveal that in our country, Pakistan, female athletes face major issues with coaching and physical training at the elite level. Parental concerns also influence the participation of female athletes at the elite level.

Association of cardiorespiratory fitness and levels of C-reactive protein: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002