PERCEPTION OF ADECUACY ON SPORTS FACILITIES DURING SCHOOLS' P.E. AND EXTRA LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN A COHORT OF 1544 TEENS

Introduction The aim of this qualitative study is to define the perception of adequacy on sport/s facility/ies (SF) during P.E. school classes and extra physical activities (physical activity/ies, PA). Methods The study population consisted of 1544 students aged between 11 and 20 years old (height, 1,7±11,9 m; weight, 55,7±12,4 kg; BMI, 20,2±5,1 kg/m2), and was divided into two groups: 11 to 14 lower grade (LG), 15 to 20 upper (UG). Both groups were asked to fill a multi-area questionnaire inquiring about the amount of time spent in PA on a weekly basis, the types of SF utilized, a detiled evaluation of the provided services whilst using the same facilities. Results Almost eight students out of ten (79,08%) performed PA during extra-school time. Ranking of SF assessed: 30,9% outdoor fields, 25,4% fitness & health gyms, 21,6% sport halls, 11,2% pools and 10,9% others facilities types. Recorded order of the total scores achieved, the worst evaluations provided are referred to: care and hygiene of the global spaces (3,55/5), functionality of locker rooms (3,56/5) and structural state of wear (3,69/5). 31,7% of students perceive their own structure comprehensively similar compared with the others of the same category in which they act and 4,6% noticeably lower; highly significant is how this last data increase by 88% from LG to UG. The 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, the 41,4% quantify as rather relevant. Conclusion The overall perception regarding the adequacy on SF is at a more than acceptable level with a 3.68/5 as regards school P.E. and a 4.03/5.00 for extra leisure sport activities. Nevertheless SF could run the real risk of becoming too outdated without good maintenance and focused investments.