The ‘ideal’ PE Kit to help reduce Body Image concerns within Adolescent Girls

Mills, Claire D ORCID: 0000-0003-4156-4593 and Cooling, Kate E (2019) The ‘ideal’ PE Kit to help reduce Body Image concerns within Adolescent Girls. Obesity Weight Management and Therapy, 2 (1). pp. 1-8. doi:10.31579/jowmt.19/009

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Abstract

Introduction: Adolescent girls typically possess dissatisfaction towards their bodies and is particularly prevalent when taking part within Physical Education (PE) lessons. It is therefore important to investigate whether the design of their own PE kit could have a positive effect on how they participate within PE. Methods: A sample of n = 40 female participants from Years 7 and 11 were recruited from two secondary schools, to provide a comparison. A non-validated questionnaire was designed to address the 3 research objectives using a Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and percentages were used for further analysis and interpretation. Results: 20% of Year 7 girls were most dissatisfied with their feet as opposed to 35% of Year 11’s with their upper arm. With regards to their current PE kit, Year 7 girls were least satisfied with shorts (20%) and Rugby shirt (25%), whereas, the Year 11’s were least satisfied with skirt and shorts (15%) and the polo shirt (15%). The design of the PE kit saw similarities between both Year 7 and 11, in particular where the designs covered up the body parts the participants were least satisfied with. Conclusion: Overall, girls would prefer a PE kit that was fitted, to allow for comfort and ease of movement, but also that covered certain body parts, including thighs and upper arm. By allowing girls to have a choice of their own PE kit, could help increase participation levels as they move through adolescence. Recommendations: Future research could involve all year groups within secondary schools.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Related URLs:	Publisher
Subjects:	R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ370 Diseases of children and adolescents > RJ399.C6 Obesity in children
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Health, Life Sciences, Sport and Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Claire Mills
Date Deposited:	20 Dec 2019 16:07
Last Modified:	31 Aug 2023 09:07
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/7556

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