The social, mental and emotional benefits of participation in physical activity, the barriers to participation for different groups, and the strategies the active leisure industry uses to widen participation.

What this dot point is asking

CCEA wants you to explain the social, mental and emotional benefits of taking part in physical activity, to identify the barriers that stop different groups from taking part, and to describe how the active leisure industry tries to widen participation. This topic completes the wellbeing picture begun in the health and wellbeing dot point.

Social, mental and emotional benefits

These benefits are a major reason the active leisure industry is valued by public health: activity supports the whole person, and the social side, belonging to a club or team, can be as motivating as the physical side for many participants.

Barriers to participation

Common barriers include cost (membership fees and equipment), time (work, study and caring responsibilities), access and transport (distance to facilities, especially in rural areas), lack of confidence or negative past experience, cultural or religious factors, and disability where provision is unsuitable. Different groups face different barriers: cost and confidence may affect young people and those on low incomes; time may affect working parents; access may affect rural and older populations; and suitable provision may be the barrier for disabled people.

Strategies to widen participation

The industry uses targeted strategies to remove these barriers. Concessionary or subsidised pricing and free schemes tackle cost. Flexible session times (early mornings, evenings, lunchtimes) tackle time pressures. Outreach and better transport improve access. Beginner sessions, women-only sessions and disability-specific provision build confidence and suitability. Culturally appropriate provision and targeted promotion encourage under-represented groups. The aim is to make activity accessible to as many people as possible, reflecting the public sector's goal of inclusion.

Examples in context

Example 1. Sport as a tool against isolation. A walking football session for older men provides gentle exercise, but its greater value for many participants is social: regular contact, friendship and a reason to leave the house, which reduces isolation and supports mental wellbeing. This shows how a well-designed activity can target social and mental benefits as deliberately as physical fitness, and why the industry promotes such schemes.

Example 2. Removing the confidence barrier. A woman who has never used a gym may be deterred by feeling out of place among experienced, mostly male users. A women-only beginner session, with supportive instruction in a low-pressure environment, removes that confidence barrier and creates a route into regular activity. It illustrates how a targeted strategy addresses a specific barrier for a specific group, widening participation where a general offer would fail.

Try this

Q1. State three barriers that might prevent a person from taking part in physical activity. [3 marks]

• Cue. Cost, time, access or transport, lack of confidence, cultural or religious factors, disability (any three).

Q2. Suggest one strategy a leisure centre could use to overcome the cost barrier and one to overcome the time barrier. [2 marks]

• Cue. Cost: concessionary or subsidised pricing or free schemes. Time: flexible session times such as early mornings or evenings.