UBC Intramurals: Identifying and Assessing Barriers Limiting Female Participation Rates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i1.299Keywords:
post-secondary students, females, athletics, recreation, recreational leagues, hindrance to participation, online survey, psychosocial, physical factors, environmental factorsAbstract
Background: At the University of British Columbia (UBC), there is a decreasing rate of female participation in Intramurals sports. Purpose: To identify key barriers influencing the decline in women’s participation in UBC Intramurals and develop recommendations for UBC Athletics and Recreation to reduce barriers and facilitate female Intramural participation. Methods: A 23-question online survey was created with Qualtrics to collect responses from female UBC students regarding their perceived barriers to participation and feedback for UBC Intramurals. Participants were recruited through survey links posted on Facebook. Qualtrics and Microsoft Excel were used to conduct descriptive and content analyses, respectively. Results: Common barriers identified by female UBC students included self-esteem and the convenience and accessibility of UBC Intramurals. Three main themes for improvement were identified for UBC Athletics and Recreation and included better access to information regarding UBC Intramurals leagues, consistent league schedules and game times, and the creation of additional leagues, such as gender-specific and just for fun leagues. Conclusion: Five recommendations were made for UBC Athletics and Recreation to implement into their current Intramurals program: improve the awareness and access to information regarding UBC Intramurals leagues, create a female hat league to allow small group sign-up, implement consistent schedules for intramurals leagues and games, increase the types of sports and tiers offered within the program, and to use a mixed-methods study on a larger sample size in future research for this topic.
References
Baghurst, T., Tapps, T. & Judy, A. (2014). A comparison of sport commitment in female-only versus co-recreational intramural basketball leagues. Recreational Sports Journal, 38(2), 143-152. doi: 10.1123/rsj.2013-0022
Becker, K., Dupont, V., & Fincham, N. (2019). Move UBC: Commuters versus non-commuters. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0387067
Brunton, J. A. (2016). Engaging university students in sport and active recreation. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, 11(32), 85–86. doi: 10.12800/ccd.v11i32.708
Buckworth, J. & Nigg, C. (2004). Physical activity, exercise, and sedentary behavior in college students. Journal of American College Health, 53(1), 28-34. doi:10.3200/JACH.53.1.28-34
Butler, S. M., Black, D. R., Blue, C. L., & Gretebeck, R. J. (2004). Change in diet, physical activity, and body weight in female college freshman. American Journal of Health Behaviour, 28(1), 24–32. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.5993/AJHB.28.1.3
Eime, R.M., Harvey, J., Charity, M. J., Casey, M., Westerbeek, H., & Payne, W. R. (2017). The relationship of sport participation to provision of sports facilities and socioeconomic status: A geographical analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 41(3), 248-255. doi:10.1111/1753-6405.12647
Evans, J. R., & Mathur, A. (2005). The value of online surveys. Internet Research, 15(2), 195-219. doi:10.1108/10662240510590360
Frederick, C. J., & Shaw, S. M. (1995). Body image as a leisure constraint: Examining the experience of aerobic exercise classes for young women. Leisure Sciences, 17(2), 57-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490409509513244
Fry, H. (2017). Women and Girls in Sport (Report No. 7). Retrieved from the House of Commons Canada website: https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/CHPC/report-7
Guszkowska, M. (2015). The body image of physically active and inactive women. Sport Tourism, 22(2), 74-78. doi:10.1515/pjst-2015-0015
Humpel, N., Owen, N., & Leslie, E. (2002). Environmental factors associated with adults’ participation in physical activity: A review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22(3), 188-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00426-3
Intramurals. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://recreation.ubc.ca/intramurals/
Kowalski, K. C., McHugh, T.-L. F., Ferguson, L., & Sabiston, C. (2018). Research Methods in Kinesiology. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.
Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women’s sport. Quest, 53(1), 115-133. doi:10.1080/00336297.2001.10491733
Lemoyne, J., Pierre, V., & Frédéic, G. (2015). Physical self-concept and participation in physical activity in college students. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47(1), 142-150. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000378
Liechty, T., Freeman, P. A., & Zabriskie, R. B. (2006). Body image and beliefs about appearance: Constraints on the leisure of college-age and middle-age women. Leisure Sciences, 28(4), 311-330. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1080/01490400600745845
Molina-Garcia, J., Castillo, I., & Pablos, C. (2009). Determinants of leisure-time physical activity and future intention to practice in Spanish college students. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12(1), 128-137. doi:10.1017/s1138741600001542
Newbold, J. J., Mehta, S. S., & Forbus, P. (2011). Commuter students: Involvement and identification with an institution of higher education. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 15(2), 141-153.
Sallis, J. F., Hovell, M. F., Hofstetter, C. R., Elder, J. P., Hackley, M., Caspersen, C. J., & Powell, K. E. (1990). Distance between homes and exercise facilities related to frequency of exercise among San Diego residents. Public Health Report, 105(2), 179-185. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1580056/pdf/pubhealthrep00197- 0069.pdf
Stoll, A. (2010). A qualitative study over low female college student participation in intramural sports. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Szeri, A. & Mathieson, C. (2018). 2017/18 Annual Report on Enrolment. Retrieved from the University of British Columbia website: https://academic.ubc.ca/sites/vpa.ubc.ca/files/documents/2017-18-Enrolment-Report.pdf
Thomas, A. M., Beaudry, K. M., Gammage, K. L., Klentrou, P., & Josse, A. R. (2019). Physical activity, sport participation, and perceived barriers to engagement in first-year Canadian university students. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 16(6), 437-336. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2018-0198
UBC Recreation. (n.d.). Intramural leagues. Retrieved from https://recreation.ubc.ca/intramurals/leagues/
UBC Survey Tool. (2020). Retrieved February 3, 2020, from https://it.ubc.ca/services/teaching-learning-tools/survey-tool
World Health Organization. (1986). Ottawa charter for health promotion: An international conference on health promotion-the move towards a new public health. Health and Welfare Canada
Woodley, Y. (2017). Commuter students and involvement theory. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 May Yong-Jun Guan, Grace Huang, Jessica Anh Pham, Jennifer Rosabel Lim, Jennifer Cen-Jun Wong
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Terms of Publication
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada’s right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The Contributor (author(s)) represents and guarantees that the Contributor is the sole proprietor of the work and the Contributor has full power to make this Agreement and grant that the work does not infringe the copyright or other proprietary right of any other person; and the work contains no libellous or other unlawful matter and makes no improper invasion of the privacy of any other person. The Contributor also represents and is responsible for the accuracy of the work.
- The Contributor will read, correct, and return promptly galleys and page proofs to the Editor (or designate). The Contributor will be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of these corrections. If the Contributor does not return galleys and page proofs within the schedule agreed upon with the Editor (or designate), the Publisher may proceed without the Contributor corrections.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permissions and letters of agreement for all matter contained in the work that is protected by existing copyright, paying any permission fees for the use of text or illustrations controlled by others, and furnishing the Publisher with written evidence of the copyright owner’s authorization to use the material.
- When applicable, the Contributor agrees to obtain written permission for inclusion of any photographic materials involving a human subject, and provide the Publisher with written evidence of the subject’s authorization to use this material. In the case of subjects who have not reached the age of majority, the Contributor agrees to obtain and furnish the Publisher with written permission from the parent and/or legal guardian.
- The Contributor may draw on and refer to material in the work in preparing other articles for publication in scholarly and professional journals and papers for delivery at professional meetings, provided that credit is given to the work and to the Publisher.
- This agreement may not be changed unless the Contributor and the Publisher agree to the change by means of a formal addendum signed by the Contributor and the Publisher’s representative.
- This agreement shall be construed and governed according to the laws of the province of British Columbia and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, their heirs, successors, assigns, and personal representatives. Should any formal proceedings related to this agreement be brought, such formal proceeding may be brought only in the province of British Columbia.
By submitting an article to the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada the Contributor has accepted and agreed to all terms outlined in the copyright notice.