These included questions regarding their perceived motivational factors and barriers to participation.
Literature review.
There is a world obesity epidemic with most recent figures suggesting that 1 in 3 UK children are overweight or obese (Kenny, 2013). Reilly (2007) studied childhood obesity and suggested that interventions should be designed to prevent obesity and other diseases associated with lifestyle choices based on its contributing factors, physical activity being one of these.
Physical activity is any body movement that works muscles and requires more energy than resting (WHO, 2015). Regular exercise helps many of the body's systems to function properly. According to the ACSM guidelines (2010) regular physical activity can help prolong life, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, type-2 diabetes and some cancers, reduces the risk of falling by improving balance and agility, prevents weight gain and promotes weight loss, improves sleep and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. "Learning, memory, concentration, and mood all have a significant bearing on a student's academic performance, and there is increasing evidence that physical activity enhances each" (Sattelmair & Ratey, 2009, p. 365). Despite such benefits, many individuals do not participate in the recommended amount of physical activity, this is especially true for women (Lewis and Ridge 2005). The national guidelines suggest that children and young people aged 5 – 19 should take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day (Chief Medical Officer, 2011). However, results from the Heath Survey for England (2012) show that only 21% of boys and 16% of girls were meeting the current recommendations. Additionally, compared with boys, girls attend fewer physical education classes (Eaton et al., 2010), participate less during physical education (Eaton et al., 2006), belong to fewer sports teams (Eaton et al, 2010; McKenzie et al, 2000), and engage in less physical activity outside of school (Beighle et al.