Guess What Is Driving Teenage Girls Away From Sports?

BuddiGear Sports bra from Etsy

You'll probably never guess this as there seems to be so many choices with regards to sports bras these days. Other than the usual suspects brands like Nike and Adidas here in Singapore there's also Oiselle, Lulu lemon, Under Armour and many other brands that you can order online.

Boys don't seem to be affected by this of course, but research shows that girls tend to drop out of sports and even skip physical education classes around the onset of puberty.

There is a simple reason. It's developing a bigger chest and girls' attitudes about them.

Researchers studied over 2000 school girls from the ages of 11 to 18 and more than than three quarters listed at least one breast related concern regarding their participation in sports and exercise.

The girls in the study felt their breasts were either too big or too small, too bouncy or held too tightly by an ill fitting bra. There were some who felt worried about undressing in the changing room while others were self conscious and reluctant to exercise and move with abandon.

90 percent of the girls studied said they wanted to know more about breasts in general. Half the girls studied wanted to know more about sport bras and breasts specifically with respect to physical activity.

I personally found it surprising that only 10 percent of the girls surveyed  said they always wore a sports bra during sports and exercise. More than half had never worn one.

Pediatricians and adolescent health specialists suggested more needed to be done regarding informing girls about breast health and development.

The girls were asked how they would prefer to receive breast information. Via a website, leaflet or a private session with a nurse. Majority said they wanted a girls only session with a female teacher, preferably at age 11.

So if your adolescent/ teenage daughter suddenly starts giving excuses about exercising or skipping physical education classes you know what to do.


Reference

Scurr J, Brown N et al (2016). The Influence Of The Breast On Sport And Exercise Participation In School Girls In The United Kingdom. J of Adolescent Health. 58(2): 167-173.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.005