Sport and physical activity habits, behaviours and barriers to participation in university students: an exploration by socio-economic group

There is some evidence that people from lower socio-economic groups (SEGs) are more likely to be either inactive or less active than those from higher SEGs. Currently, there is little evidence to indicate whether this trend is the same for the student population. This study aims to provide this insight to understand the habits and behaviours of university students in sport and physical activity whilst gaining an understanding of barriers to student participation. A mixed methods approach was employed, including an online survey of 729 students from 20 different UK universities, plus qualitative research at one university which included 27 semi-structured interviews with students, four semi-structured interviews with university staff, and a focus group with student sports volunteers. This paper supports previous findings around participation in sport and physical activity amongst different SEGs, finding that students from low SEGs were less active than those from higher SEGs. Key barriers preventing both groups participating in sport and physical activity included time (mainly due to academic commitments), cost and a lack of confidence, alongside some university-specific factors. A greater number of commuter students were in the low SEGs which also influenced behaviour in relation to sport and physical activity participation. Additionally, the research found that students that did not participate in sport and physical activity before university were also less likely to participate once they began university, and this was an important factor regardless of SEG. The paper provides some considerations and implications for both further research in this area and the design of interventions to engage and sustain participation in university students.