Teenage girls’ participation in sports. An intergenerational analysis of socio-cultural predictor variables

Abstract The main objective of this study is to analyse which socio-cultural variables, including parental sports experiences, best predict the active sports participation patterns of teenage girls. Identical data were retrieved from three cross-sectional samples of teenage girls and their parents (N =7,276) through a written questionnaire. Results from logistic regression modelling indicate that parental sports capital and the school programme remain significant socio-cultural determinants for female teenagers’ active participation in leisure-time sports, of which mothers’ sports capital is the most important one. It is suggested that more sports policy efforts are needed in relation to teenage girls and their mothers, in order to get this target group more actively involved in sports and physical activities.

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