Active students have higher wellbeing, inclusion and perceptions of employability and attainment compared to inactive students. This report shows that when universities invest in opportunities and provide students with support to be physically active it can lead to more positive outcomes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have an important role to play in the physical and mental wellbeing of their students, whilst ensuring they have the skills needed to excel.
The ‘British Active Students Survey’, conducted at the end of 2017, followed on from the 2016 inaugural active student survey. The ‘Scottish Active Students Survey’ indicated that students who were active had higher wellbeing, inclusion and perceptions of attainment and employability compared to inactive students. This was reflected in students who participated in sport and were members of a gym compared to those who participated in just sport or were just members of the gym, or those who participated in neither.
Attending a HEI can be a life changing experience for many individuals as they move away from home and are exposed to new experiences and opportunities for the first time. HESA data indicates there are 2,317,880 students enrolled in HEIs and 1,587,410 (68.5%) under 25 years of age. Across the UK, a quarter of 16-24 year-olds do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity highlighting the crucial role HEIs have in supporting this population to be physically active.
The ‘British Active Students Survey’ has built upon the evidence previously reported, expanding the
survey by collecting responses from students across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A total of 6,891 students from 104 HEIs were represented. Just over half of the respondents were meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines on physical activity (more than 150 minutes moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity each week), with 7.1% classified as inactive (less than 30 minutes moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity each week).
Over half of respondents (53%) were both members of a gym and a sports club, with around 1 in 5 members of either a sports team or gym. Participation in regular physical activity as well as sports participation and gym membership was found to improve students’ personal wellbeing, mental
wellbeing, social inclusion and perceived academic attainment and employability. Students who were
classified as fairly active scored better across these outcomes compared to inactive students. Similarly,
students who were members of a gym or participated in sport in isolation scored higher than those who took part in neither. These results highlight the importance of doing some activity. Participation in sport and gym are required for the greatest benefits, as well as meeting the recommended levels of physical activity.
In order to engage more students in regular activity, it is important to understand the barriers to leading
an active lifestyle so that HEIs can provide specific support to students. This research found that being
too busy with studies was the biggest barrier (74-79%). However, active students stated they spent more time studying than inactive students. The next highest barriers were too busy socialising (23%) or that activity options were too expensive (23%). Only 4% of respondents indicated a lack of support from
their university. Body confidence and student sports culture feeling unwelcoming were more frequently
reported barriers for females. This suggests universities are providing good levels of support yet barriers still exist. Refreshing this support may be required to help reduce these specific barriers with wider collaboration across institutions. There is a clear association between activity levels in students and personal wellbeing, mental wellbeing, social inclusion and perceptions of attainment and employability.
These results highlight the great importance of leading an active lifestyle for students, not only for the well-evidenced benefits to physical wellbeing, but the wider benefits to students’ current and future wellbeing.
The ‘British Active Students Survey’ provides evidence to universities that active students are healthier, happier and more likely to succeed. Effort is needed to enable the 40% of students doing some activity to do a bit more in order to meet the CMO guidelines, and to help those currently inactive to at least move towards the goal of becoming active, and therefore gain the wider benefits associated with leading an active lifestyle. Collaborative working within HEIs can provide students with activity habits for later life, a positive experience, and further support them achieve academic success and be employable.
Universities will benefit due to the higher wellbeing, grades and employability of students.
Download the full report below. (4MB)
Notre Dame and UTS Join FISU Healthy Campus Program, Strengthening Australia’s Leadership Australia continues to set the benchmark in fostering healthier university environments, with The University of Notre Dame Australia (Notre Dame) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) becoming the 11th and 12th Australian universities to sign up for the FISU Healthy Campus Program. […]
Deakin University becomes 10th signatory to FISU’s Healthy Campus Programme Deakin University recently became the tenth higher education institution in Australia to sign up to the Federation of International University Sport (FISU) Healthy Campus Programme. Notably this registration made Australia one of the leading countries in this global platform with the largest % of member […]
Universities’ higher elite athlete program investment sees student athletes’ Olympic performance soar. By Don Knapp Australian University Sport began tracking the performance of student-athletes at Olympic Games in preparation for its Winning Edge funding submission to the Australian Sports Commission in 2012. At the 2004 Athens Games, 104 student-athletes were selected in the Australian Olympic […]
