One in four girls do not commit to returning to sport once restrictions are lifted
The inactivity of young girls has negative impacts on their mental and physical health, as well as on their social ties.
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A new study recently conducted by Women in Sport in Canada, in partnership with E-Alliance and the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation, suggests that one in four girls, aged 6 to 18, do not commit to taking up the sport again. play sports once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. This very worrying observation for the health of the main stakeholders has led various players to mobilize to reverse the trend. This is particularly the case with Loisir et Sport Lanaudière.
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The regional body has clarified the issue of sports involvement among young girls as a priority in its post-covid recovery plan. “During the pandemic, young people lost the chance to have access to sports facilities, not to mention the financial impacts suffered by families who came to accentuate the issue”, explains Alexandra Ayotte, development agent dedicated to sport and physical activity for young people at Loisir et Sport Lanaudière.
Even before the appearance of COVID-19, several obstacles were already known to discourage girls from playing sports. The study COVID Alert: Impact of the pandemic on girls in sport cites five main ones:
- Access to facilities and programs;
- The quality of the programs;
- Alternatives / other interests;
- The cost of participation;
- Lack of self-confidence.
Rekindle the spark
Forced to a halt with the implementation of health restrictions, the girls for whom the commitment to sport was already precarious seem to have seen the motivation that they weakly maintained before confinement wilted. “We notice that many girls have lost the feeling of efficiency, that they feel deconditioned in sport,” continues Ms. Ayotte. In this sense, the organization works closely with its partners in order to promote pleasure through sport before performance. Loisir et Sport Lanaudière offers, among other things, training to coaches aimed at helping them adequately integrate girls and minorities into their organizations.
In the field, observations revealed that intrinsic motivation was decisive in the practice of sport among young people, particularly in adolescence. In young girls, social interaction and the feeling of belonging to a group are important determinants of motivation. The development officer argues in particular that we must work to abolish harmful comments related to body diversity or technical skills, for example, in order to return to a positive practice of sport. The organization also advocates openness to dialogue between the various sports organizations, both school and municipal, and their customers. “Often it doesn’t take much to ignite the spark. Alexandra Ayotte suggests that some simple actions such as increasing break times, organizing social activities outside of practice, or offering girls choices and involving them in decision-making can help. to hook them to sport.
An abandonment fraught with consequences
Despite frightened interest, the young girls surveyed as part of the study acknowledged that the decrease in sports participation had negative impacts on their mental and physical health, as well as on their social ties. While screen time has gained in importance at the expense of physical activity since the start of the pandemic, an escalation in anxiety among young people has been observed. “Teenage girls meet the recommended daily physical activity time by only 11%,” says Ms. Ayotte. She explains this drastic fall by the decrease in opportunities to move and by the scarcity of family options at the adolescent age. In fact, parents’ sports involvement plays a decisive role in children’s engagement.
Support on a large scale
As there are many obstacles to practicing sports, Loisir et Sport Lanaudière has implemented various actions in recent months. The resurgence of the issue concerning female clients has led the organization to establish a new partnership with FitSpirit. The renewal of its assistance program aimed at improving physical and financial accessibility to sports activities was also confirmed for September. Countryside I train smiles was also launched by Loisir et Sport Lanaudière in the past year to support the 49 municipal leisure services and the 200 or so clubs and federations that it brings together in the recruitment of coaches. “There is a lack of waxing coaches at the moment,” notes Ms. Ayotte. The cessation of sports clubs’ activities spread over several months has had the effect, in many cases, of encouraging coaches to reorient themselves, for lack of work.
In regards to
The study led by Women and Sport Canada looked at girls who played sport at least once a week before the pandemic. If a quarter of these do not re-engage, as polls suggest, this will represent more than 350,000 Canadian girls who will have broken away from practicing their sport.
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