EUROPEAN PHYSICAL EDUCATION REVIEW [DOI: 10.

1177/1356336X08090703]
Volume14(2):139–155:090703 EPER

Trends in leisure time physical activity among

young people in Finland, 1977–2007

Lauri Laakso and Risto Telama Department of Physical Education,
University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Heimo Nupponen Department of Teacher Education in Rauma,

University of Turku, Finland

and

Arja Rimpelä and Lasse Pere Tampere School of Public Health,
University of Tampere, Finland

Abstract
The decline in physical activity among young people has been discussed in the media
during recent decades, although the scientific evidence for this has been scarce. The
aim of this study was to investigate trends over 30 years in leisure time physical activity
of Finnish boys and girls aged 12, 14, 16 and 18 years from 1977 to 2007. The data
were obtained from the Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey. In the survey
nationwide samples have been drawn every second year (number of respondents has
varied from 2832 to 8390) since 1977. Leisure time physical activity was measured
through questions concerning organized sport and unorganized leisure time physical
activity. Participation in organized sport significantly increased from 1977 to 2007 in
both genders. Time
gender interaction was significant, indicating that participation
had increased more among girls than among boys. In both genders participation in
unorganized leisure time physical activity decreased from 1977 to 1985, increasing
thereafter until 2007. The increase from 2003 to 2007 was significant in organized
sport but not in unorganized leisure time physical activity. It is concluded that there
is an upward trend in Finnish adolescents’ leisure time physical activity and in
organized sport in particular, and that the increase in activity has been greater in girls
than boys.

Key-words: age • gender • leisure time physical activity • sport participation, • trends •
young people

Introduction
Promoting a healthy and physically active lifestyle is one of the main aims of physical
education (PE) in many countries (Büse and Gerber, 2005). Physical activity of

Copyright © 2008 North West Counties Physical Education Association and SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore)
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140 E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W 14(2)

children and adolescents has been seen as important for their healthy development
and growth. Recent longitudinal studies have shown that physical activity in child-
hood and adolescence predicts physical activity in adulthood, and thus may influence
the health of large populations (Barnekow-Bergkvist et al., 1998; Engström, 1991;
Tammelin et al., 2003; Telama et al., 1996, 2005; Vanreusel et al., 1997).
In the media it has often been said that physical activity among young people is
decreasing and that this is contributing to increasing obesity. However, such claims
generally lack specific definitions about what kind of physical activity is decreasing.
Reliable research evidence on changes in children’s and adolescents’ physical activity
over time is scarce. It is difficult to find published studies in the literature in which
the same measurements of physical activity have been repeated over a long period
using the same method and targeting representative samples. There is very little
research evidence for the decline of physical activity among young people during
recent years (Biddle et al., 1998), although this is due more to the lack of research
than to the fact of change in the level of physical activity. In many European countries
increased participation in organized sports has been reported during recent decades
(De Knop et al., 1996). According to the review on physical activity in the United
States the level of leisure time physical activity has been relatively stable or has
slightly increased, whereas physical activity related to work, transportation and home
activities has declined. Also sedentary behaviours have increased. These changes have
resulted in an overall trend towards a decline in total physical activity (Brownson
et al., 2005).
Age and gender differences in physical activity (declining with age, boys more
active than girls) are well documented in numerous studies in many countries. Gender
differences have a strong cultural background, and great variation between countries
in the gender differences has been documented. A certain trend showing diminish-
ing gender difference in sport participation during the past few decades is apparent,
at least in the Nordic countries (De Knop et al., 1996). It has been found in Finland
that the gender difference is smaller than in many other countries and that in late
adolescence, when the focus is on frequency of physical activity, girls are more active
than boys (Roberts et al., 2004; Telama and Yang, 2001; Telama et al., 2002). The
largest gender difference in physical activity is found in organized sport, which may
account for the major part of the gender difference in overall physical activity (Laakso
et al., 2006; Vilhjalmsson and Kristjansdottir, 2003).
There is also wide cross-cultural variation in age differences regarding physical
activity (Roberts et al., 2004). An age–gender interaction has also been found in
physical activity, the decline being steeper among girls than boys in many countries
(Roberts et al., 2004). However, in Finland the physical activity of boys declines
more than that of girls (Telama and Yang, 2000). Another interesting age-related
change found among Finnish boys is what might be termed a polarization of physical
activity, meaning that along with age not only does the number of inactive boys
increase but also the number of highly active (frequent vigorous activity) boys
(Telama and Yang, 2000).

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 L A A K S O E T A L . : T R E N D S I N P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y I N F I N L A N D 141

Changes in living environments, living conditions, lifestyles and even climate

emphasize the importance of continuously monitoring the level of and changes in
youth physical activity. Bearing in mind the gender and age differences found in
numerous previous studies, it is important to monitor the trends in physical activity
in both genders and in various age groups. The aim of this study was to investigate
30-year trends in leisure time physical activity among Finnish 12-, 14-, 16- and
18-year-old boys and girls from 1977 to 2007. Very few studies have been previously
published on changes in adolescents’ leisure time physical and sport activity utiliz-
ing a nationwide sample and a period as long as 30 years (Scheerder et al., 2005a,
2005b).

Methods

Participants
The data were obtained from the Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey. In
the survey nationwide samples have been drawn every second year since 1977. Those
who were born on certain days in June, July and August were chosen from the
National Census (total number of respondents varied from 2832 to 8390). The
questionnaires were mailed to the homes of participants in February, with a first
reminder in March and a second reminder in April to those who had not answered
the first mailing. Thus, the participants were of the same age at every measurement
(12.6, 14.6, 16.6 and 18.6).
Table 1 gives the response rates. These were consistently higher among girls than
boys, and higher in the younger than older groups. During the first three surveys
(1977–81) the response rates were 90 per cent for girls and over 80 per cent for boys,
but declined thereafter, in particular after 2000 – falling in 2007 to 50 per cent for
boys and 72 per cent for girls. Because non-respondents may differ from respondents,
the effect of non-response was studied by comparing the leisure time physical activity
of those who responded to the first mailing with those who responded to the first and
to the second reminder. It was suggested that the later subjects respond the more they
resemble non-respondents (Rimpelä et al., 1999). However, there were not any
significant differences between the response groups in organized sport participation.
In non-organized leisure time physical activity the mean of the group who responded
to the second reminder was greater than the means of the other two groups, which
indicates that the results for non-organized physical activity differ from the other
health habits studied in the survey.

Measurement of leisure time physical activity

From 1977 to 1989 participation in leisure time physical activity was measured by
the question ‘How often do you participate in sport or recreational physical activity
during your leisure time?’ with four response alternatives:

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 142

Table 1 Response rates (%) by gender, age and year

1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

Boys
12 90 88 88 85 80 81 76 77 73 78 76 79 72 69 67 56
14 88 86 87 78 74 81 75 74 74 75 69 74 66 66 64 57
16 85 83 85 75 76 77 70 68 70 72 68 68 62 59 57 49
18 83 78 81 75 68 69 63 61 66 67 60 63 53 50 49 41
Total 86 83 85 78 74 76 71 69 70 72 67 69 62 60 58 50
E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W

Girls
12 91 90 92 91 84 83 82 82 84 86 87 85 82 75 75 71
14 94 91 92 86 88 90 90 86 86 85 84 85 79 78 75 73
14(2)

16 89 91 91 91 87 89 82 86 87 88 87 85 82 79 76 73

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18 88 85 88 87 83 84 80 82 83 86 83 80 76 74 68 70
Total 91 89 91 89 86 87 84 84 85 86 85 83 79 77 73 72

All 88 86 88 83 80 81 77 77 78 79 76 76 70 69 66 61
 L A A K S O E T A L . : T R E N D S I N P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y I N F I N L A N D 143

1. in a school sport club (outside PE lessons);

2. in a sport club outside school;
3. in some other club or association;
4. informally alone or with your friends.
Each item was scored on a seven-point rating scale of frequency: 1 = not at all, 2 =
less than once a month, 3 = 1–2 times per month, 4 = about once a week, 5 = 2–3
times a week, 6 = 4–5 times a week, 7 = about every day. In 1991 and later the items
on school sport clubs and other clubs were omitted. In order to formulate a combined
variable for leisure time physical activity frequency, the item of informal or unorgan-
ized leisure time physical activity (UNORGPA) was recoded into four categories: 1
= less than once a week, 2 = once a week, 3 = 2–3 times/week, and 4 = more than 3
times a week. The three items on organized leisure time activity (ORGPA) were
combined and recoded using the same scale so that the highest frequency among the
three items was given to the new variable. In 1991 and later there was only one item
for organized sport which was recoded in a similar way. The two variables, UNORGPA
and ORGPA, were cross-tabulated to obtain the combined frequency of leisure time
physical activity variable (FREQPA), as shown in Table 2, resulting in four categories:
inactive, occasionally active, active and very active.
In order to study the reproducibility of the leisure time physical activity
measurements the inquiry was repeated after an interval of a few weeks in 1993, 1995,
1997, 2001 and 2003. The correlation coefficients for the whole sample (N = 1850)
pooled over these years were 0.80 for ORGPA and 0.66 for UNORGPA. There were
no notable gender or age differences in the correlations. The level of reproducibility
of ORGPA was slightly lower in 2001 and 2003 (0.77, 0.74) than in 1993–7 (0.85,
0.80, 0.85). The correlation for UNORGPA was highest in 1993 (0.71) and lowest
in 1997 (0.60). Among boys the test–retest correlations were higher for the 18-year-
olds (0.70) than 12-year-olds (0.61), but among girls the age difference was smaller
(0.64–0.61). The test–retest reliability of leisure time physical activity measurements
can be regarded as rather good and respondents at the age of 12.6 years could be
considered old enough to answer this survey.

Table 2 Structure of the combined frequency of leisure time physical activity (FREQPA)

Frequency of UNORGPA

ORGPA < once a week once a week 2–3 times/week > 3 times/week

< once a week 1 2 2 3

once a week 2 2 3 3
2–3 times/week 2 3 3 4
> 3 times/week 3 3 4 4
1 = inactive (18%); 2 = occasionally active (36%); 3 = active (34%); 4 = very active (12%).

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144 E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W 14(2)

Statistical analyses
The data were pooled to form a single database and two-way analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was used to study the significance of the main effects of age, gender and
time, and possible age
time, gender
time and age
gender interactions, with
LSD as a post hoc test. Because the measurement of ORGPA was a little different in
1991 and after than in 1977–89, ANOVA was carried out separately for periods
1977–89 and 1991–2007. The analysis of UNORGPA was also done in two
sequences because a preliminary analysis showed that the level of UNORGPA fell
during 1977–85 and rose during 1986– 2007. The means of the leisure time physical
activity variables were used in the analysis of variance and in figures illustrating the
trends. Per centage participation rates are presented in tables.

Results
Participation in organized sport significantly increased from 1977 to 1989 and from
1991 to 2007 in both genders (Figure 1). The time
gender interaction was signifi-
cant, indicating that participation increased more among girls than among boys. The
percentages showing participation at least once a week were 43 per cent in 1991 and
48 per cent in 2007 among boys, and 29 and 42 per cent among girls (Table 3). The
increase from 2001 and from 2003 to 2005 was significant but no time
gender
interaction was observed.
The upward trend in sport participation was also significant in all age groups.
The age
time interaction was significant (p ≤ 0.05) among boys in 1977–89
and in 1991–2007, whereas among girls a significant interaction (p ≤ 0.001) was
found in 1991–2007, but not in 1977–89. The changes in age differences were small
and varied inconsistently. Differences between age groups were large throughout the

4
3.5
Scale 1–4

3
2.5
2
1.5
1
77

79

81

83

85

87

89

91

93

95

97

99

01

03

05

07
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Years
UNORGPA boys
UNORGPA girls
ORGPA boys
ORGPA girls

Figure 1 Means of organized (ORGPA) and unorganized (UNORGPA) leisure time

physical activity by gender and year

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 Table 3 Participation in organized and unorganized leisure time physical activity (%) at least once and at least twice a week

1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

ORGPA
Boys
once 47 57 47 50 46 50 56 43 44 40 43 46 43 43 50 48
twice 31 40 32 35 29 34 41 33 35 32 35 37 35 36 40 40
Girls
once 28 39 35 39 37 36 43 29 33 31 31 33 34 35 40 42
twice 14 22 18 20 18 19 22 18 21 21 21 22 23 24 27 28

UNORGPA
Boys
once 78 75 72 74 68 69 70 76 78 77 79 79 79 80 80 83
twice 61 57 53 58 47 51 51 54 57 56 59 57 59 60 60 64
Girls
once 73 72 70 75 64 66 72 75 79 76 79 77 78 79 81 84
twice 50 51 48 52 40 43 49 48 53 52 56 54 55 55 58 63

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145
146 E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W 14(2)

whole study period. In 2007, 54 per cent of the 12-year-old boys participated in
organized sport at least twice a week, but only 26 per cent of the18-year-old boys.
The respective percentages for girls were 43 and 16 per cent.
Participation in unorganized leisure time physical activity did not show a linear
trend. In both genders the rate of participation in UNORGPA decreased from 1977
to 1985, increasing thereafter up to 2007. The changes in UNORGPA are described
by the percentages for participation at least twice a week. For boys these were 61 per
cent in 1977, 47 per cent in 1985 and 64 per cent in 2007, and for girls 50, 40 and
63 per cent (Table 3). The gender
time interaction was significant (p ≤ 0.01) in
the years 1977–89 but not in the years 1991–2007. The gender difference was largest
in 1977, whereas in 2007 the participation of boys and girls was at the same level
(Figure 1). Across the whole 30-year period girls’ participation increased significantly
while boys’ participation in 2007 was at the same level as it was in 1977.
The age
time interaction for UNORGPA was strong and significant (p ≤ 0.001)
in both genders. The age differences were largest at the beginning of the study period
during the 1970s and smallest during the last measurements. Across the whole study
period the oldest age groups showed the greatest increase in participation (Figures 2
and 3).
The curves illustrating the trend for the combined frequency (FREQPA) of
leisure time physical activity are rather similar to curves for UNORGPA, with the
exception that girls did not reach the level of boys in 2007, despite the fact that girls’
participation increased more than boys’ participation from 1977 to 2007 (Figure 4).
The gender
time interaction was strong and significant. The means of the frequency
of boys’ physical activity stayed at around the same level with minor changes in both
directions 1983–9, while girls’ means rose clearly and significantly. The percentages
of very active participation (6 times a week or more) for boys were 16 in 1977, 18 in
1989 and 21 in 2007, and for girls 5 in 1977, 8 in 1989 and 12 in 2007, which means

Means of UNORGPA of boys by age

4
3.5
12 y
3
Scale 1–4

14 y
2.5
16 y
2
18 y
1.5
1
77

79

81

83

85

87

89

91

93

95

97

99

01

03

05

07
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Years

Figure 2 Means of unorganized leisure time physical activity (UNORGPA) of boys by

age and year

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 L A A K S O E T A L . : T R E N D S I N P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y I N F I N L A N D 147

Means of UNORGPA of girls by age

4
3.5
12 y
3
Scale 1–4

14 y
2.5
16 y
2
18 y
1.5
1
77

79

81

83

85

87

89

91

93

95

97

99

01

03

05

07
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20
Years

Figure 3 Means of unorganized leisure time physical activity (UNORGPA) of girls by

age and year

The means of FREQPA by gender and time

4
3.5
3
Scale 1–4

Boys
2.5
Girls
2
1.5
1
77

79

81

83

85

87

89

91

93

95

97

99

01

03

05

07
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Years

Figure 4 Means of frequency of leisure time physical activity (FREQPA) by gender and
time

that the percentages of physically very active young people increased from 1977 to
2007 (Table 4).
The age
time interaction was significant in both genders, because the
combined frequency of leisure time physical activity increased more in the older age
groups than younger groups. The number of inactive adolescents remained at almost
the same level among boys (15 per cent in 1977 and 12 per cent in 2007), but declined
clearly among girls (23 per cent in 1977 and 11 per cent in 2007) (Table 4).

Discussion
The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in the level of leisure time physical
activity among Finnish young people during the 30 years from 1977 to 2007. The
main result was that participation in organized youth sport increased in both genders,

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 148

Table 4 Frequency of participation in leisure time physical activity by gender, age and year (%)

1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

Inactive
Boys 15 16 19 17 23 20 18 19 17 19 17 16 17 15 15 12
12 4 7 10 7 14 10 10 12 10 9 13 9 9 7 9 5
14 12 11 14 17 22 17 17 16 14 16 14 13 13 12 12 8
16 19 20 22 17 25 21 22 20 19 19 17 16 19 17 15 14
18 26 24 28 26 30 27 23 27 22 26 21 23 22 23 22 21
Girls 23 21 23 19 27 25 18 21 17 19 17 18 18 17 13 11
12 8 9 13 10 17 15 8 14 9 16 13 12 11 8 7 6
14 25 22 23 18 26 22 19 20 16 16 15 15 17 13 12 8
16 26 26 28 21 29 26 22 20 17 19 16 18 17 17 16 11
18 31 29 29 26 34 30 25 25 20 22 20 22 21 26 16 17
E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W

Very active
Boys 16 20 14 17 12 15 18 15 17 16 18 18 17 17 19 21
14(2)

12 31 37 22 30 18 27 27 23 29 23 26 26 24 26 27 31
14 17 26 18 17 13 17 22 17 19 18 22 19 18 19 22 26

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16 8 11 9 12 10 14 12 15 15 15 16 19 15 15 17 16
18 8 7 7 10 7 8 8 8 12 11 12 12 14 11 13 12
Girls 5 9 6 8 6 7 8 6 7 7 7 8 9 10 10 12
12 12 19 11 15 12 16 15 8 12 11 11 14 13 15 16 19
14 3 9 8 9 5 10 9 7 9 9 9 9 10 11 13 16
16 2 4 4 6 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 9 10 8 11
18 2 3 2 2 4 4 4 3 5 5 6 5 8 5 5 5
Inactive = < once a week; very active = 6 times a week or more.
 L A A K S O E T A L . : T R E N D S I N P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y I N F I N L A N D 149

but more among girls than boys. Similar findings have been reported previously
(Scheerder et al., 2005a, 2005b). Because the frequency of unorganized spontaneous
leisure time physical activity had remained at the same level or increased slightly, the
total frequency of leisure time physical activity had in fact increased.
The claim often made in the public arena that youth physical activity has
declined during the last few decades was not supported by the results of this study.
Evidence that the trend in youth physical activity is not declining was also given in
a recent comparative study showing that in seven European countries vigorous
physical activity of adolescents had stayed at the same level or had slightly increased
from 1986 to 2002 (Samdal et al., 2006). Similar results have also been reported in
the USA (Brownson et al., 2005). However, it is important to bear in mind that only
leisure time physical activities and sports were measured in this study, as also in the
other studies mentioned. The rather simple questions in the questionnaire of this
study focused on intentional activities, which may be recreational, fitness-oriented,
training for competition, etc. but did not inquire, for instance, about activities like
walking to school, running during recess at school or hanging around with friends
on the street. In the Finnish language the term liikunta, used in the questionnaire,
refers to human physical activity in general, not only sports, which means that it is
difficult to translate it precisely into other languages. However, leisure time physical
activity is a better expression than sports, where non-organized activity is concerned.
In any case this study underestimates total physical activity as compared with
activity measured by means of objective instruments (Dencker et al., 2006; Riddoch
et al., 2004; Trost et al., 2002). The results of this study cannot tell anything about
possible changes in everyday physical activities or in energy expenditure among
young people.
The most obvious changes were found in participation in youth sport in a sport
club, which had increased during the study period significantly in both genders and
in all age groups. The last measurements showed that the significant increase had
continued after 2001. This result is in line with reports of similar trends from other
countries (De Knop et al., 1996; Scheerder et al., 2005a, 2005b). The reasons for the
growth of youth sport are both international and national. The rising level of com-
petition in international elite sport has perhaps increased the efforts made by sport
federations and clubs to recruit more children and adolescents into sport. Also the
globalization of sport has increased the number of sport events and disciplines intro-
duced to young people in many countries, bringing more options for participation.
Although the rate of participation in youth sport has increased, the differences
between age groups have been large and have not diminished over the past three
decades. Behind this result can be the phenomenon that, although more young people
are recruited into sport, the rate of drop out from sport has remained at the same or
almost the same level. It has been found that unorganized and organized leisure time
sport in youth predicts physical activity in adulthood (Telama et al., 2005, 2006),
and therefore the present results are important from the viewpoint of public health
in Finland.

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150 E U RO P E A N P H Y S I C A L E D U C AT I O N R E V I E W 14(2)

A general trend in leisure time physical activity among young people seems to
be towards organized activity, while the share of unorganized spontaneous physical
activity is declining (DeKnop et al., 1996; Scheerder et al., 2005a, 2005b). Tradition-
ally the share of spontaneous physical activity engaged in by young people has been
larger in Finland than in other countries, and this still seems to be the case (Telama
et al., 2002). The results of the present study illustrated that Finland is evolving in
the same direction as elsewhere. Participation in organized sport is increasing more
than unorganized leisure time physical activities. The same trend has also been found
during the last few years. The increase from 2003 to 2007 was significant in organ-
ized sport but not in unorganized leisure time physical activity. This trend has both
positive and negative implications. On the plus side persistent participation in youth
sport seems to be favourable regarding the adoption of an active lifestyle in adult-
hood. On the negative side is the fact that participation in organized youth sport is
regulated to a significant extent by the socioeconomic status of parents, and this
tendency has increased during last few decades, while unorganized leisure time
physical activity, which is not dependent on socioeconomic status, is not rising at the
same rate (Laakso et al., 2006; Telama et al., n.d.).
The results of the present study show that leisure time physical activity, both
unorganized and organized, increased more among females than males, both un-
organized and organized, during the last three decades, and that in unorganized
leisure time physical activity females have already reached the level of males. This
may be a typically Finnish phenomenon connected with the fact that gender differ-
ences in leisure time physical activity, liikunta, but also in sport participation, are
smaller in Finland than in most other countries outside Scandinavia (Roberts et al.,
2004; Telama et al., 2002). On the other hand, it may be part of the more global
increase in the physical activity of women.
Findings on the changes in physical fitness among Finnish youth from 1976 to
2000 showed that the variance increased in all tests and in both genders (Nupponen
and Huotari, 2002). The results of the present study do not show a similar growth
in the variance of leisure time physical activity from 1977 to 2007. The number of
inactive or almost inactive young people has remained the same or decreased slightly
while the number of very active people has increased.
The strength of the present study was the fact that adolescents’ leisure time
physical activity has been monitored for a long period, 30 years, using the same
questionnaire and nationwide representative samples. A limitation is that the measure-
ment of physical activity is based on only a few simple questions. Also the questions
used in the measurement of ORGPA were changed in 1991, and this is reflected in
the figures. For this reason the ANOVA was carried out separately for the periods
1977–89 and 1991–2007. However, the reliability of the instrument estimated
through reproducibility correlations appeared to be rather good. The variable concern-
ing participation in sport club activity, in particular, has been found to be reliable in
a previous study too (Telama et al., 1996). A problem of measuring physical activity
using the self-report method is that it is difficult to estimate frequency of and time

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 L A A K S O E T A L . : T R E N D S I N P H YS I C A L AC T I V I T Y I N F I N L A N D 151

spent on physical activity because often it is not regular and may happen sporadically
at different time points. Participation in organized youth sport is regular because the
training sessions usually have a weekly time schedule which is easy to recall when
asked. The correlation between the questions used in this study and motor fitness is
evidence for the predictive validity of the study (Telama et al., 2002).
With respect to the ecological validity of the study it is important to take into
account that the prerequisites for leisure time physical activity, both organized and
unorganized, vary widely from country to country, although internationalization is
perhaps diminishing this variation. The results of a recent comparative study suggest
that the secular trend of youth physical activity in Finland may differ from that in
many other countries. Among seven European countries Finland was the only one
showing consistent increase in youth vigorous physical activity from 1986 to 2002
(Samdal et al., 2006). The following factors may explain possible differences between
the evolution of physical activity in Finland and in other countries: many oppor-
tunities for spontaneous physical activities in safe environments, a long tradition of
outdoor life and using the natural environment for leisure time physical activities, a
long tradition of women’s and girls’ physical activities and an effective youth sport
system. However, what has happened in Finland may also happen in other countries.
Our results suggest that it is possible to maintain or even increase youth leisure time
physical activity through arrangements which offer favourable environments and
possibilities for leisure time physical activity and sports.

Conclusions
Leisure time physical activity among young people in Finland increased during the
30 years from 1977 to 2007 in both genders, but more among girls than among boys,
and the increase was particularly noteworthy in organized sport. This means that, in
Finland, leisure time physical activity more often than previously means participation
in organized sport. This trend is not to be considered a wholly positive one, as it
implies increased differences between social classes in leisure time physical activity.
Although the differences between girls and boys have decreased, girls still
participate less in sport club activities. Sport club programmes are obviously still
male-oriented.
We need more research on the physical activity of young people. In particular,
studies in which everyday physical activity is measured are important in order to
draw conclusions about the role of increased leisure time physical activity in the total
physical activity of young people.

Acknowledgement
The study was financially supported by the Academy of Finland, the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Health, the Ministry of Education, Finland and the Competitive Research Funding of the
Pirkanmaa Hospital District.

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Résumé
Tendances dans les activités physiques de loisir chez les jeunes
en Finlande de 1977 à 2007

Au cours des dernières décennies, les médias ont discuté avec intérêt du déclin de l’activité
physique des jeunes, sans pour autant que quelconque preuve scientifique ait été apportée.
Cette étude avait pour objectif d’analyser les tendances, au cours des 30 dernières années,
dans les activités physiques de loisir des garçons et filles finlandais âgés de 12, 14, 16 et 18
ans. Les données ont été obtenues à partir d’une enquête nationale sur la santé et le style
de vie des adolescents finlandais (Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey). Pour cette
enquête, des échantillons nationaux (variant de 2832 à 8390 personnes interrogées) ont été
réalisés une année sur deux entre 1977 et 2007. L’engagement dans des activités physiques
de loisir a été apprécié à partir de questions concernant le caractère organisé ou non de ces
activités physiques de loisir. L’engagement dans des pratiques organisées à significativement
augmenté de 1977 à 2007 aussi bien chez les garçons que chez les filles avec toutefois une
augmentation plus marquée chez ces dernières. L’engagement dans des pratiques de loisirs
peu ou pas organisées a d’abord diminué de 1977 à 1985 pour ré-augmenter jusqu’en 2007
au sein des deux populations (filles et garçons). Significative dans le cadre des pratiques
organisées, l’augmentation de 2003 à 2007 ne l’était pas en ce qui concerne les pratiques
non organisées. L’interprétation de ces résultats révèle une tendance à la hausse de
l’engagement des adolescents finlandais dans les activités physiques de loisir, d’autant plus que
ces pratiques sont organisées et structurées. Ce phénomène est plus marqué chez les filles
que chez les garçons.

Resumen
Tendencias en la actividad física de ocio entre los jóvenes de
Finlandia 1977–2007

En las últimas décadas se ha hablado mucho en los medios de comunicación sobre el declive
de la actividad física entre los jóvenes, pero las pruebas científicas que lo avalen han sido más

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bien escasas. La intención de este estudio ha sido la de investigar las tendencias que, a lo
largo de treinta años, ha seguido la actividad física de ocio entre los chicos y chicas finlandeses
de 12, 14, 16 y 18 años de edad, desde el 1997 hasta el 2007. Los datos han sido extraídos
de la ‘Encuesta sobre las Costumbres y la Salud de los Adolescentes Finlandeses’. En esta
encuesta se recogieron muestras en todo el país cada dos años (el número de Participantes
en la encuesta ha variado de 2832 a 8390) desde 1977. La actividad física realizada en el
tiempo de ocio se midió a través de preguntas concernientes tanto al deporte reglado como
a la actividad física de ocio no reglada. La participación en deporte reglado aumentó
significativamente en ambos géneros desde 1977 hasta 2007. La interacción tiempo-género
resultó ser significativa, indicando que la participación se ha incrementado más entre las chicas
que entre los chicos. En ambos géneros la participación en la actividad física no reglada
decreció desde 1977 hasta 1985, para luego ir incrementándose hasta 2007. El aumento
desde 2003 hasta 2007 fue significativo en lo que respecta al deporte reglado pero no en
lo que respecta a la actividad física no reglada. Se concluye que existe una tendencia al alza
tanto en la actividad física de ocio no reglada de los adolescentes finlandeses como, y sobre
todo, en el deporte reglado, y que el aumento de la actividad física ha sido mayor en chicas
que en chicos.

Zusammenfassung
Trends in der Teilnahme an Freizeitsportaktiväten bei
Jugendlichen in Finnland 1977–2007

In den letzten Jahrzehnten diskutierten die Medien die abnehmende Teilnahme Jugendlicher
an körperlicher Bewegung und Sport, obwohl dies wissenschaftlich nicht ausreichend
belegt ist. Die Zielsetzung dieser Studie war es, die Entwicklung der Breiten- und
Freizeitsportaktivitäten von Jungen und Mädchen im Alter von 12, 14, 16 und 18 Jahren in
den letzten 30 Jahren (von 1977 bis 2007) zu untersuchen. Die erforderlichen Daten wurden
von der ‘Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey’ bezogen. In dieser Untersuchung
wurde eine landesweite Auswahl von Personen alle zwei Jahre (Anzahl der Antworten
variierten von 2832 bis 8390) seit 1977 befragt. Die Freizeitsportaktivtäten wurden anhand
von Fragen nach dem Zeitaufwand gemessen, der für den organisierten Sport und den nicht-
organisierten Freizeitsport aufgewendet wurde. Die Teilnahme am organisierten Sport
erhöhte sich signifikant von 1977 bis 2007 bei beiden Geschlechtern. Die Wechselwirkung
von Zeit
Geschlecht war erheblich und zeigte, dass die Teilnahme von Mädchen stärker
zugenommen hatte als die von Jungen. Bei beiden Geschlechtern hatte die Teilnahme an
nicht-organisierten Freizeitsportaktivitäten von 1977 bis 1985 abgenommen und bis 2007
wieder zugenommen. Die Zunahme von 2003 bis 2007 war beträchtlich bei organisierten
aber nicht bei nicht-organisierten Freizeitsportaktivtäten. Daraus kann gefolgert werden, dass
es einen Aufwärtstrend beim Freizeitsport finnischer Jugendlicher gibt, insbesondere beim
organisierten Sport, und dass die Zunahme aktiver Freizeitsportaktivitäten bei Mädchen
stärker war als bei Jungen.

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Lauri Laakso, University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physical Education

Heimo Nupponen, University of Turku, Department of Teacher Education in Rauma

Arja Rimpelä, Lasse Pere, University of Tampere, Tampere School of Public Health

Risto Telama, University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physical Education

Address for correspondence: Lauri Laakso, Saarijärventie 5 as 11, 40200 Jyväskylä,

Finland. [e-mail: lauri.laakso@sport.jyu.fi]

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