Factors of incidence and influence of advertising on adolescent sporting behaviour

Abstract

Introduction: Sedentary behaviors are prominent among adolescents. Moreover, the outlook is not favorable. The majority of children exceed the recommended daily screen time, and a large proportion do not engage in the recommended daily physical activity. Methodology: This study is structured around three main objectives to explore ways of encouraging sedentary adolescents to practice sports. Firstly, to detect factors that have an impact on the practice of sport among adolescents. It also seeks to estimate the relevance of these factors in the sporting practice of this population segment. In addition, it aims to explore the current and potential influence of advertising on the sporting practice of these young people. To do so, it applies two research techniques: in-depth interviews (conducted with an amateur athlete, a high-performance athlete, and a sports coach) and a survey (on a Spanish sample of 114 adolescent athletes aged 13 to 18). Results: The study found that the factors that particularly influence the sporting practice of adolescent athletes are: the importance given to sport in the cultural sphere, parents, sporting content in social media, and the enjoyment of the activity itself. Discussion and Conclusions: Based on the results, the advertising potential to encourage sedentary adolescents to take part in sports through advertising has ample room for improvement. In this regard, some considerations are offered for advertisements such as: using television and to a greater extent social networks, showing people doing sport, carrying out campaigns with prominence in the media and social networks, using sporting references, highlighting the benefits of sport, and alluding to diversity (both in terms of types of sport and target groups to which the advertising is addressed).