The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA17-18) is a follow up to CSPPA 09-10, and was funded by Sport Ireland, Healthy Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland. Similar to its predecessor, CSPPA17-18 was a multi-centre study, undertaken by the University of Limerick (lead University), Dublin City University, and University College Cork, with the addition of Ulster University for the first time. This study provided an updated national database for Sport Ireland, Healthy Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland and any other interested public policy agencies or organisations, interested in physical activity, Physical Education and sport participation levels of children and youth in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Provided quality surveillance data on the current physical activity levels of Irish and Northern Irish children and youth, primary and post primary, respectively. Comprehensively assess the participation levels of Irish and Northern Irish children and youth in sport, physical activity and Physical Education, using both subjective and objective measurement protocols. Determine factors that enhance or inhibit participation levels of Irish and Northern Irish children and youth in sport, physical activity and Physical Education. Demonstrate the health benefits of participation in regular physical activity for children and youth. Provide a comparison, where possible, between CSPPA09-10 and CSPPA17-18 study findings.

Probability: Stratified, Probability: Cluster. Recruitment letters were distributed to all sampled schools, with researchers following up by a phone call to the school Principal within seven days. For the CSPPA17-18 sample, 114 of the 123 original schools were eligible to participate (the nine schools that were ineligible had either closed, or merged with larger schools in the area). A recruitment letter was sent to the eligible schools, and followed up with a phone call within a week. Of the 114 eligible schools, 74 (65%) participated in CSPPA17-18 (24 (21%) declined the invitation to participate and 16 (14%) could not be contacted and/or scheduled). Where appropriate, and necessary, convenience schools (who had not participated in CSPPA09-10) were recruited, to ensure representativeness across all year groups. Twelve convenience schools participated in CSPPA17-18. For Northern Ireland, an equivalence sample was drawn up to reflect the Republic of Ireland sample. This sample consisted of 51 schools in total (20 primary, 31 post-primary), of which 29 schools (9 primary, 20 post-primary) were recruited to give an equivalence sample to the Republic of Ireland sample (81% response rate). A recruitment letter was sent to these schools, and a researcher followed up with a phone call within seven days. In the case where a school declined to participate, a school with a similar stratification profile was approached to participate. In total, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, 115 schools (48 primary, 67 post-primary) participated in CSPPA17-18.

Self-administered questionnaire: Computer-assisted (CASI)

Physical measurements and tests