Perception of Adequacy on Sports Facilities during Schools’ P.E. and Extra Leisure Activities in a Cohort of 1544 Teens

The aim of this qualitative study is to define the perception of adequacy on sport/s facility/ies (SF) during physical education and school sports (PESS) and extra school physical activities (PA). The study population consisted of 1544 students aged between 11 and 19 years old (F: 49.6%; M: 50.4%; height: 1.7±11.9 m; weight: 55.7±12.4 kg; BMI: 20.2±5.1 kg/m2). The sample was randomized from eighteen secondary schools in northern Italy, and was divided into two groups depending on the level of education attended: 11 to 14 years old, lower grade (LG); and 15 to 19 upper (UG). Both groups were asked to fill a themed multi-area questionnaire inquiring about the amount of time spent in PA on a weekly basis, the types of SF utilized, and a detailed evaluation of the provided services whilst using the same facilities. Almost eight students out of ten (79.1%) performed PA during extra PESS time. Ranking of SF assessed: 30.9% outdoor fields; 25.4% fitness & health gyms; 21.6% sport halls; 11.2% pools; and 10.9% other facilities types. A total of 31.7% of students perceive their own sports structure comprehensively similar compared with the others of the same category in which they usually act, and 4.6% noticeably lower; highly significant is how, this last data, negatively increase by 88% from LG to UG. Based on a 5-points Likert Scale, the overall perception regarding the adequacy on SF is at a more than acceptable level with an average 3.68±1.1 about PESS, and a 4.0±1.0 for extra leisure PA. Nevertheless, SF could run the real risk of becoming too outdated without good maintenance and focused investments in a short-medium term. Additionally, 41.4% of the sample voted the quality of the SF as “essential” (10.7%), or “important” (30.7%) to reach the personal PA aims.