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Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA), 2022

Study number (SN): 0010-03

CITATION 

ABOUT THE STUDY 

CSPPA – the Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity study – is an all-island research study that forms the most comprehensive analysis of youth participation in physical activity, physical education and sport on the island of Ireland. CSPPA has been running in Ireland for more than a decade, with our first study taking place in 2010. Over this time we have collected data on levels of participation in physical education, physical activity, youth sport, active travel and sedentary behaviour from over 11,000 children and young people. We have also collected information on physical health, fitness, muscular strength and endurance, and asked children what they think of the opportunities provided to them to be more active. CSPPA has informed government policy, practice by physical education teachers, youth sport coaches, and researchers interested in how to promote physical activity in this cohort. 

All schools who took part in CSPPA 2010 and/or 2018 were invited to participate in CSPPA 2022 (n = 122). Seventy-four (65%) of these schools participated in CSPPA 2022. To ensure the samples were representative in terms of gender, socio-economic status, geographical location and size, additional new schools meeting the stratification criteria were recruited. Some instruments from 2010, and 2018 remained the same, although there were some new items too. Data collection was collected solely by teachers. 

CSPPA 2022 was a multi-centre study, undertaken by the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, University College Cork, and Ulster University. It was funded by Sport Ireland, Healthy Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland, with additional support from the Departments of Health and Education in the Republic of Ireland.

MAIN TOPICS 

• Adolescence 
• Adolescents 
• Child obesity 
• Commuting 
• COVID-19 
• Health promotion 
• Physical activities
• Public health 
• Sports clubs 
• Sports 
• Sports participation 
• Sport spectatorship 
• Sports training 
• Student transportation 
• Swimming 

COVERAGE, UNIVERSE, METHODOLOGY 

Population 

Children and Young People aged 10-20 years on the island of Ireland.

All schools who took part in CSPPA 2010 and/or 2018 were invited to participate in CSPPA 2022 (n = 122). Seventy-four (65%) of these schools participated in CSPPA 2022. To ensure the samples were representative in terms of gender, socio-economic status, geographical location and size, additional new schools meeting the stratification criteria were recruited.

Observation units 

• Individuals
• Other  - Schools

Temporal coverage 

From 01/2022  to  05/2022

Time dimension  

Repeated cross sectional study. This is the 3rd CSPPA, previous CSPPA were in 2010 and 2018.

Geographical coverage 

Country: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Methods of data collection 

• CASI (Computer Assisted Self Interviewing)

Sampling procedures 

Based on a pre-defined sampling frame or frames from which the sample was drawn. 

Stratified sampling.

The sampling frame for CSPPA 2022 was based on the schools involved in CSPPA 2010 (ROI only) and CSPPA 2018 (both jurisdictions). Special schools, junior-only schools and colleges of further education were not included in the sampling frame. A systematic one stage cluster sampling method was used, i.e., a school was chosen at random, a year group in that school was chosen at random and then every child in that year group was invited to complete the survey. Once complete, data were checked to ensure all year groups were represented. However, due to under representation of hard to reach year groups, for example 6th years, we then worked with CSPPA ambassadors in the recruited schools to obtain additional classes. A sample of at least 3,000 students was required to account for design effects. The sample was over-recruited to allow for refusal of schools to participate.

Schools were stratified by four criteria:

• School gender status: male, female or mixed.

• Socio-economic status: disadvantaged or non-disadvantaged (DEIS vs non-DEIS) for the Republic of Ireland; percentage of free school meals class (low, medium or high) for Northern Ireland.

• School location: urban or rural (categorised by population density around the school).

• Size: small, medium or large (based on total number of students). For the Republic of Ireland, school sizes were determined by creating tertiles using all primary or postprimary schools (tertile 1=small, tertile 2=medium and tertile 3=large). For Northern Ireland, the school size was supplied by the Department of Education, NI.

All schools who took part in CSPPA 2010 and/or 2018 were invited to participate in CSPPA 2022 (n = 122). Eighty-four (69%) of these schools participated in CSPPA 2022 (38 declined the invitation to participate). To ensure the samples were representative in terms of gender, socio-economic status, geographical location and size, 31 additional schools meeting the stratification criteria were recruited. In total, 115 schools (42 primary and 73 post-primary) in both jurisdictions participated in CSPPA 2022. 

Response rate 

 School Level response rates: Schools in sampling frame, n = 122, recruited, n = 115 (75%). Student level response rates: Students in sampling from from the assigned year and expected number of students (DoE list) n = 12792, recruited, n = 8881 (69%). 

DATA AND DOCUMENTATION: FILES’ DESCRIPTION  

Data (available through ISSDA application process) 

Documentation (available for download) 

LINKS 

https://csppa.ie/

ACCESS INFORMATION 

Accessing the data 

To access the data, please complete a ISSDA Data Request Form for Research Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets form, sign it, and send it to ISSDA by email.

For teaching purposes, please complete the ISSDA Data Request Form for Teaching Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets, and follow the procedures, as above. Teaching requests are approved on a once-off module/workshop basis. Subsequent occurrences of the module/workshop require a new teaching request form.

Data will be disseminated on receipt of a fully completed, signed form. Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned to the data requester for completion.

Copyright 

Copyright belongs to Professor Catherine Woods, University of Limerick, Ireland.

Acknowledgements 

Any work based in whole or part on resources provided by the ISSDA, should  acknowledge: “CSPPA 2022" and also ISSDA, in the following way: “Accessed via the Irish Social Science Data Archive - www.ucd.ie/issda”.

Citation requirement 

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical citation 

Sport Ireland (2024). The Children's Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA) 2022 [data collection]. Version 1. Dublin: Irish Social Science Data Archive SN: 0010-03.  http://www.ucd.ie/issda/data/csppa/

Notification 

The user shall notify the Irish Social Science Data Archive of all publications where she or he has used the data.