The Finnish School-aged Physical Activity study (FSPA/LIITU) 2024
According to the Finnish School-aged Physical Activity study data (FSPA, LIITU in Finnish), around a third (32 %) of children, adolescents and young adults participating in the LIITU survey met the physical activity recommendation. The proportion of those achieving the recommended physical activity level decreased with age and was lowest among general upper secondary school students. Among comprehensive-school children and adolescents aged 7 to 15, 37 per cent got the recommended amount of physical activity whereas the percentage was 19 per
cent for general upper secondary school students.
For comprehensive school pupils, there has been little change in the proportion of those doing the recommended amount of physical activity compared to previous years, but for general upper secondary school students, the proportion of those doing the recommended amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity was higher than in 2020. Boys were more likely than girls to engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, and boys were also more likely than girls to engage in the recommended amount of vigorous physical activity on at least three days per week.
A similar difference was also observed for males and females in general upper secondary education. Boys and men were more likely than girls and women to report an increase in physical activity in the past 12 months, while girls and women were more likely than boys and men to report a decrease in physical activity.
Self-organised physical activity was by far the most common form of physical activity among children, adolescents and young adults. Around half of the respondents took part in training sessions, competitions or matches organised by sports clubs and slightly more than a third took part in sports events organised by private sector actors.
As for physical activity locations, children, adolescents and young adults were most likely to make weekly use of pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as their own or a friend’s yard. Weekly physical activity in nature and forests and the use of indoor halls and ice rinks was also fairly common, with almost half of respondents doing so.
The accelerometer measurements showed that children, adolescents and general upper secondary education students spent most of their waking hours sedentary, mainly sitting, and most of their physical activity was of light intensity. As was the case with the survey data, differences between age groups were also found in the data collected using the accelerometers. There was an increase in the 11 amount of sedentary behavior going from younger to older age groups. The amount of physical activity, especially moderate and vigorous physical activity, was lower in the older age groups.
The most common obstacles to physical activity were found to be external, such as lack of instruction, lack of facilities and the high cost of physical activities. The most commonly reported personal obstacles were time constraints and other hobbies taking up time. Not feeling like getting out and engaging in physical activity was also among the most commonly reported obstacles.
Of the children, adolescents and young adults aged between 9 and 20, 55 per cent participated in clubs for physical activity and sport. For children and young people aged between 9 and 15, the proportion was 60 per cent, and for young adults aged between 16 and 20, it was 44 per cent. Participation rates in physical activity and sports clubs are higher than they were during and right after Corona pandemic, approaching pre-pandemic levels.
When looking at equity and inequality in physical activity, it was found that children and young people from families with higher socio-economic status were significantly more likely to achieve the recommended level of physical activity. Children and young people in good economic situations were more likely to engage in self organised physical activity and to accumulate less screen time. In contrast, children and young people in poor economic situations were less likely than others to own bicycles.
In addition to socio-economic status, differences in physical activity behaviour were found by place of residence. For example, among lower secondary school and general upper secondary school students, urban residents engaged in more physical activity than did those living in rural areas, and participation in sports clubs was also higher among urban participants. Primary school children in rural areas were more likely to spend more than two hours a day on screens than were urban children, and rural residents reported more obstacles to physical activity than did urban residents.
Differences related to ethnic background were particularly noticeable in the proportion of people with low levels of physical activity, which was significantly higher among those with foreign backgrounds than it was among those with Finnish backgrounds. Those with foreign backgrounds were also more likely to report obstacles to physical activity than were those with Finnish backgrounds.
From the perspective of equity and inequality, the report also includes specific figures on the differences between Finnish- and Swedishspeaking children, adolescents and young adults, as well as on the differences between those with and without functional difficulties.
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The Finnish School-aged Physical Activity (FSPA/LIITU in Finnish) study provides follow-up data at
the national level on physical activity, behaviour related to physical activity and health, sedentary
behaviour, sleep, as well as attitudes, values and experiences associated with physical activity among
children and adolescents in comprehensive education and young adults in upper secondary education.
The first set of data for the LIITU project was collected from 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 2014. The current data (2023–2024) were collected for the first time simultaneously for the whole target group of the LIITU study, that is, comprehensive and upper secondary education students (aged 7–20). In addition, the data collection period was longer this time than it was previous years. The actual data collection took place from the end of 2023 until the end of May 2024. The data were supplemented in the autumn term of 2024, in August, September and October. The data were collected in Finnishand Swedish-language schools both through an electronic survey and using accelerometers. A total of 21,619 children, adolescents and young adults responded to the survey, and the accelerometer data consist of physical activity measurements from 2 737 participants.
This report presents the results of the LIITU 2024 study based on the survey and physical activity measurements for the whole target group of 7- to 20-year-olds. For upper secondary education, only the results for general upper secondary school students are reported, as the data are not representative of students in vocational institutions. The main focus of this report is on the differences between age groups. The structure is largely the same as in previous LIITU reports. What is new in this report is the addition of a chapter looking at physical activity behaviour from the perspectives of nondiscrimination and inequality.
LIITU report presents results on the following issues: physical activity, sedentary behaviour, physical activity tracking devices and apps; support from parents and friends for physical activity; number of lessons in physical education and pupils’ grades; children and young people’s perceptions of physical activity and physical education at school; the culture of physical activity at school; physical activity during the school day; active commuting to and from school; inappropriate behaviour in sport; sports-related injuries at school, during leisure time and in sports clubs; and digital gaming and physical activity. The final main chapter examines the links between physical activity and participation in sports clubs and the health literacy and psychosocial wellbeing of children, adolescents and young adults, as well as the link between physical activity and other health-related behaviours.