Physical activity and diet specialist Dr Alice Porter, from the University of Bristol and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (Bristol BRC), has led a new study, out today, showing secondary school-aged girls would feel less self-conscious and more able to fully take part in PE lessons if they had more choice over their school sports kit.

The research, published in the journal BMJ Open, involved interviews and focus groups with 12 to 13-year-old girls and PE teachers from mixed-sex secondary schools in England.

Its findings also revealed girls with lower self-esteem may be less likely to join in their PE lessons if the compulsory items of clothing felt too tight or revealing.

Dr Alice Porter, Senior Research Associate in Diet and Physical Activity at the University of Bristol Medical School, said: “We all have memories of our school PE kits and whether they were appealing, comfy, and warm enough or not to wear.

“Previous research has found many girls feel uncomfortable wearing their PE kits. Our study looked at how PE kits affect how girls feel about their bodies, how much they are involved in, and their attitude towards school sports. Our findings clearly evidence that when girls don’t have any choice over their PE uniform, this can be a deterrent to their participation, especially for girls who feel self-conscious and are lacking in self-confidence.

“One pupil we spoke to commented: ‘you see other people and they look better in their PE kit than you do…the PE kit makes you feel like they can do it better than you.’”

By analysing pupils’ lived experience and insights, the researchers also identified possible solutions to address the related issues, especially for teenage girls who may be more affected by school PE kit rules.

Results showed girls want to choose the types of bottoms, such as leggings, jogging bottoms, or shorts, they wear for PE. They also want the option to wear additional layers, so they can cover up parts of their bodies they feel self-conscious about.

The research, funded by the NIHR Bristol BRC, recommends that PE uniforms should be offered in a range of styles to suit all pupils and should not be gender-labelled for girls or boys, so irrespectively they feel empowered to choose what suits them best.

Dr Porter said: “Many schools have unisex PE kit policies. When discussing this with girls in the study, it was commented they are ‘made for boys.’ So it was clear they don’t think the clothing is designed with them in mind and they wanted to wear items more suited to their own bodies.”

Changing rooms were also a big talking point for girls in the study, with many feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious changing for PE. A possible solution identified was for schools to allow pupils to wear their PE kit all day on the days they have PE lessons, an approach which girls and PE staff study participants widely supported.

Co-author Professor Russ Jago, Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health at the University of Bristol and co-lead of the Diet and Physical Activity theme in the NIHR Bristol BRC, said: “We know that girls are less active than boys at all ages, but this gap gets wider as girls move through primary and secondary school. So finding ways to make PE more inclusive for girls is critical to help them to develop positive physical activity experiences.”

The research has been used to help inform a new digital resource providing free guidance and support for schools nationally on how to develop comfortable and inclusive PE kit policies and practices.

The initiative, called the Inclusive Sportswear Community Platform, is the brainchild of star hockey forward Tess Howard, who earlier this year received an MBE for services to inclusive sportswear for women and girls. Tess founded Inclusive Sportswear, a non-profit organisation working to lift the barrier of kit at every level of sport through delivering policies based on choice, comfort and inclusion.

Tess said: “We’re delighted to be working with University of Bristol researchers to support our work because PE kit should never be the reason someone stops playing sport or feels unable to fully participate.

“Kit is a public health issue, and it’s a barrier that can be lifted. Far too often, traditional sports kit policies inadequately support the diverse needs of pupils and forget the purpose of sport – to have fun.

“Inclusive Sportswear’s mission is to change that, empowering pupils and schools to create PE uniforms which are more flexible, comfortable, and practical. The research findings have provided powerful insights, which we have used to create practical advice and solutions for schools alongside our partner Youth Sport Trust. Ultimately, it’s about making sure all pupils feel able to enjoy and fulfil their potential in sports lessons wearing kit, which is suitable and feels good for them.”

Statistics published by Sport England last year show less than half (45%) of secondary-school aged girls meet the physical activity guidelines of one hour per day. Recently-published research from the Youth Sports Trust has also demonstrated PE kit is a barrier to girls being more active and less than half of girls (47%) feel comfortable in their PE kit.

Dr Alice Porter and Tess Howard have plans to collaborate on future research which will evaluate the Inclusive Sportswear platform for schools, to explore what changes schools are making to make their PE kits more inclusive.  

Dr Porter added: “Our exciting work could be a real game changer with the potential to transform how pupils, especially teenage girls, feel about their school sports kits and sport more generally.”

Paper

‘A qualitative study in UK secondary schools exploring how PE uniform policies influence body image attitudes, and PE engagement among adolescent girls’ by Alice Porter et al in BMJ Open