Organised and non-organised after-school physical activity among children in Spain: the role of school-related variables

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch question: The objective is to study the correlates of organised and non-organised physical activity done after school hours by children, paying special attention to the effects of school-related variables.Research methods: We estimate a two-part model consisting of a sequential discrete choice model for participation and an interval probit model for the frequency of practice of physical activity, using a Spanish survey conducted in 2011 on 17,633 primary and secondary school pupils throughout the country, aged between 6 and 18 years.Results and findings: The estimates support the specification of different models for participation and frequency, distinguishing between organised and non-organised activities. School-related variables have a significant effect. The existence of a sports project increases the probability of practising both organised and non-organised sports and the frequency of organised activities; the organisation of sports activities by parents’ associations is positively associated with the probability of participation in sports, and the type of ownership (state, private, or private schools with public funding) affects both participation and frequency.Implications: There is evidence of some room for policies to favour children’s sports participation through schools, especially in the case of organised sports. Policy makers should take into account if it is a state school, a private school or a private school with public funding when designing policies to favour children’s physical activity. The development of a sports project by the school and the involvement of parents’ or sports associations appear as effective measures in terms of this objective.