Influences on taking part in physical activity

People:

• Family - children often follow their parents in the same physical activities, they also often follow the same sports and teams.
• Peers - much easier to suceed when friends can provide encouragement and support.

Image:

• Fashion - activities recuquire the "right" equipment. Some brands may be expensive because of media coverage and sports people. Sales are also influenced by the time of year e.g. Wimbledon - tennis.
• Media coverage - can increase popularity of a sport. Competitiors may be inspired by watching events on TV. This has a strong positive effect.

Cultural factors:

• Disability - resources and oppotunities for disabled people are increasing however more availability is still neede at local level for people who are not international athletes.
• Age - can affect performance and may influence participation. It is often good to start young although some sports may have age restrictions e.g. London Marathon is 18. Work and family responsibilities as well as health problems may affect adult participation.
• Gender - most sports offer teams for both males and females, however a boy may struggle to find a…