Regular Sport Participation of High School Students with Regard to Gender, Age and Parents’ Education: The Case of Turkiye

This study examined the regular sport participation of Turkish high school students with regard to gender, age and parents’ education. A total 2099 high school students voluntarily participated in this study. The sport indexes of Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire and a demographic data sheet were administered to the participants. In terms of regular sport participation, approximately half of the high school students did not engage in any exercise/sport activities within the previous month. The intensity and duration of regular sport participation were analyzed using two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), with the father’s education and gender as independent factors. Significant multivariate main effects were found for both father’s education (p < .03) and gender (p < .01) factors. The percentage of regular sport participation among girls was slightly higher than boys. However, boys engaged in regular sport activities with a higher intensity and for longer periods than girls. There were no significant age group differences in the intensity and duration of regular sport participation, but the percentage of regular sport participation was higher in younger than older adolescents. Participants whose father had an educational attainment below high school degree level showed shorter duration of regular sports involvement than those whose fathers had an educational background of high school degree level and above.