Women in Sport charity reveals the impact of the pandemic on teenage girlsÂ’ lives and exercise

The charity Women in Sport has launched new research, funded by Comic Relief, into how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the lives of teenage girls and their relationship with sport and physical activity.

Women in Sport's research has shown that lockdown has led girls to recognise the value of exercise for physical and mental health:

• 52% of girls agreed that keeping fit and doing physical activity was more important than ever
• 55% of girls said they felt being physically active made them happier
• 54% said that it made them less stressed

Perhaps, most critically, 82% of girls say they will put more effort into being active when life returns to normal.

Less positively, half of the girls (51%) surveyed by Women in Sport were concerned that they were losing their fitness and 45% worried that it would be hard to get back into the habit of sport and exercise after the pandemic. Many have lost confidence in their sporting ability (41%) and many more are worried about being in large groups again (40%).

The charity is calling for more recognition of the essential importance of sport and exercise for girls and increased guidance and support for teenage girls as they navigate their way back to activity and through the easing of restrictions.

Even before the pandemic, society was facing a mental health crisis among young people. By the age of 14 one in four girls report experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms compared to one in ten boys*. Teenage girls value having a strong support network and the absence of socialising has hit them hard, even though girls are spending much more time online to stay connected to friends, family, and the wider world. Women in Sport's research found that 70% of teenage girls missed spending time with friends most during lockdown and 43% said they felt lonely.

Taking part in sport

Participation in sport is well known to improve both mental and physical health, to improve mood and self-esteem and to build life skills. Women in Sport believes strongly that girls should not be denied the joy, fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport and exercise and is calling for:

1. More opportunities to be provided both in and out of school for girls to take part in sport and physical activity that meets their needs. As restrictions begin to ease schools, leisure providers and sports organisations should put girls at the heart of their programming. Women in Sport's eight Principles for Success offers guidance to ensure girls are motivated and excited by offers that meet their needs for enjoyment and physical connection.
2. Action by local authorities to ensure outdoor spaces are safe and accessible to girls. Even in winter, being outdoors brings opportunities for freedom and connection with both nature and other people. 41% of girls said they have been going for more walks during the pandemic and saw the positive impact on their mood and wellbeing. Urban spaces should be better designed around the needs of girls and women making sure girls feel and are safe outside.
3. Online exercise offers that meet girls' needs - although these sparked interest among girls initially, this soon faded as the on-line offers were not tailored and engaging enough to meet their needs.

• 70% said online exercise needed more fun/excitement
• 55% said more classes were needed for girls of my age/like me
• 44% said to make online exercise more sociable and interactive

It is vital that new positive exercise habits developed in lockdown by those previously inactive teenage girls are not lost. Equally, those girls who were involved in sport before the pandemic will need supporting to re-engage as restrictions begin to ease over the coming months.

Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of Women in Sport, said: Â"Girls have been denied access to sport and exercise for far too long. The needs of girls are often ignored because when they are unfulfilled, unexpressed, and unhappy it is not necessarily society that bears the cost, but their own mental health. The teenage girls who have experienced the pandemic deserve to benefit from an injection of sporting energy as they emerge, and we're determined to make sure that can happen.”

Women in Sport blog and podcast

You can read a fantastic blog by two teenage girls, Eva and Isla, as they document their lives and thoughts on staying active over the last year, and don't miss the latest episode of the Women in Sport Podcast featuring the voices of teenage girls.

Data source

Women in Sport conducted in-depth ethnographic research over a two-month period with a group of girls aged 13-16 who were both active and less active before the pandemic. The charity also undertook a survey of 1,500 of girls, representative of the diversity of people in the UK. To read the full report visit: www.womeninsport.org

*Patalay P & Fitzsimons E. Mental ill-health among children of the new century: trends across childhood with a focus on age 14. September 2017. (Part of the Millennium Cohort Study)

Main photo above taken pre-pandemic.