Although the UK is a ‘developed society’ there still remain many factors that affect the ‘chance’ or ‘opportunity’ to take part in recreation and sport. The availability of ‘time’ is one significant barrier to participation in sport and recreation. Time is not just a barrier for those who want to become sports professionals, but also for other people who simply want to be active and participate in recreation activities, such as mountain biking, hiking, going to the gym, etc. Indeed in the these last three example activities there are also issues of money and ‘disposable income’ that people have in order for them to afford the equipment and travel costs to places where they can enjoy their recreation activities.

Additional factors that may affect participation may be related to an individual’s ‘esteem’ and their self-confidence or belief in themselves to participate. ‘Stereotypical’ attitudes of friends and / or peers may influence participation either positively or negatively. For example, in the past a stigma about femininity or sexuality may have been attached to women who wanted to play football, cricket or rugby. In contrast, activities such as athletics, hockey and netball may have been encouraged. Similarly, disabled persons participation in sport was possibly not encouraged in the past due to low expectations being placed upon them.

These barriers could be further exacerbated due to multiple factors in addition to being disabled (i.e. social class, gender, race) etc. For a number of reasons there are different participation rates in physical activity and sport among ethnic minorities. However, this may again vary by the type of activity. For example we see a lot of male Asian hockey and cricket players and a lot of clubs with nearly 100% Asian participation; this phenomenon is referred to as stacking. However, these clubs are traditionally male and cultural issues also affect the participation of women.

KEY TERMS FOR ‘BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION’

Equal opportunity: the right to equivalent opportunities (for employment, education, participation etc.) regardless of race or colour or sex or national origin.

Discrimination: the treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit.

Inclusiveness: creating a hospitable and welcoming environment; interacting with all members of the community without regard to individual characteristics.

Prejudice: a judgement or opinion formed before the facts are known.

Stereotyping: when a societal group is (mistakenly) considered to have particular strengths, weaknesses or characteristics which limits perceptions about participation among individuals.

There are many factors influencing the under-representation of women in sport. As mentioned above gender roles are formed by society and become the accepted ways for each sex to behave. Thus, for many women, staying at home to be a mother may be the norm, but this is certainly not the only way to live one’s life as a woman. In addition, stereotypical models of masculinity and femininity persist, for example, women in general are viewed as non-aggressive or non-competitive and other stereotypical myths still persist, for example, physical activity could damage fertility and child-bearing ability. These all affect the types of sport participated in by women (e.g. female participation in traditional male activities, such as rugby, football, body building, boxing is frowned upon).

The media also influences women’s under-representation in sport. For example, there is less coverage of women’s sport on television, in newspapers etc. Indeed, there was uproar when the England women’s cricket team won the World Cup in 2009 and this was not the main headline in the sports news. Less media coverage creates a ‘vicious cycle’ where less media coverage means less finance, sponsorship and advertising revenue and thus less money is provided to encourage and further women’s participation. In addition there are fewer female coaches, reporters, commentators and administrators and fewer female role models created to inspire participation (e.g. especially in sports such as cricket and football).

There are a number of reasons for discrimination and under-representation of disability groups. One key area is that of self image and the lack of confidence and low self-esteem of these individuals. They are also faced with barriers such as attitudes and stereotypes alongside myths which stem from both disabled and able-bodied peoples’ lack of awareness (i.e. safety concerns). And although there has been a sharp rise in the profile of disabled sport, particularly in the UK, there are still few role models for disabled athletes and they also face issues with funding such as lower income levels and increased costs of participation as well as access to facilities which are often unsuitable environments for their needs in terms of space and equipment. They also face barriers in terms of transport to facilities and there may be a lack of competitive opportunities, leagues and media profile. In school PE and in coaching there is also a shortage of practitioners who have the specialist knowledge required to coach the disabled and they suffer from a lack of adaptation and/or modification of activities to suit their needs and requirements.

Wearables are gadgets that can be worn. These devices usually have smart sensors and are connected to the internet for data exchange.

They include smart glasses, smart watches, hearables, fitness and health trackers, smart jewellery and smart clothing.

The most successful wearable devices on the market right now are smart watches and health and fitness tracker.

September 20, 2016

Effect of Wearable Technology Combined With a Lifestyle Intervention on Long-term Weight LossThe IDEA Randomized Clinical Trial

John M. Jakicic, PhD¹; Kelliann K. Davis, PhD¹; Renee J. Rogers, PhD¹; et al

Conclusions and Relevance Among young adults with a BMI between 25 and less than 40, the addition of a wearable technology device to a standard behavioral intervention resulted in less weight loss over 24 months. Devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioral weight loss approaches.

What this means:

• Wearable technology works as a weight loss tool
• But, it is no more effective than other typical weight loss strategies such as dieting and regular exercise.