Exploring paths to participation and non-participation in physical exercise among Swedish adolescents.

Two exercise-related clusters were identified among Swedish adolescents aged 15-18: 'Not exercising' and 'Sporting & Exercising.'

• Data were drawn from 178 Swedish adolescents aged 15-18 years.
• Cluster analysis was combined with a configurational comparative method (coincidence analysis) to identify the clusters.
• The initial analysis included 41 questions aggregated into 24 variables.
• Girls and boys within each cluster were analyzed separately.

Not having quick access to pocket money was identified as a path by itself to Not exercising among girls.

• This factor constituted a standalone path to non-participation in physical exercise for girls.
• Not having quick access to pocket money was also part of the path to Sporting & Exercising, indicating its relevance across exercise-related outcomes for girls.
• This finding highlights socioeconomic access as a particularly salient factor for girls' exercise participation.

The paths to Not exercising are more complex for boys than for girls.

• Boys' paths to Not exercising involved multiple factors needing to be jointly present.
• No single factor alone constituted a path to Not exercising for boys, unlike the single-factor path (pocket money) identified for girls.
• This complexity indicates that non-participation among boys is more multi-factorial in nature.

Participation in adult-led activities differed between boys in the Not exercising and Sporting & Exercising clusters.

• Adult-led activity participation was identified as a difference-making factor specifically among boys.
• This factor distinguished boys who were not exercising from those who were sporting and exercising.
• No equivalent finding was reported for girls regarding adult-led activities.

Having a disability was a difference-making factor only among boys, and only when combined with 'not avoiding anyone in the neighborhood' and 'sometimes meeting friends in person.'

• Disability did not appear as a difference-making factor for girls in either cluster.
• For boys, disability operated as part of a multi-factorial path requiring the joint presence of social and neighborhood factors.
• The two co-occurring conditions were 'not avoiding anyone in the neighborhood' and 'sometimes meeting friends in person.'
• This illustrates the configurational nature of how disability intersects with social context in shaping exercise participation.

Paths to exercising and non-exercising differed between girls and boys across multiple dimensions.

• Separate coincidence analyses were conducted for girls and boys in each cluster.
• The factors and their combinations that explained cluster membership varied by sex.
• Girls' paths were characterized by fewer, simpler combinations of factors compared to boys.
• The authors conclude that interventions and policies aimed at increasing adolescent participation in physical exercise should account for these sex-specific differences.

This study is reported as the first to combine cluster analysis with a configurational comparative method (coincidence analysis) to explore paths to physical exercise participation among adolescents.

• The authors state 'To our knowledge, this is the first study to combine cluster analysis with a configurational comparative method to explore paths to participation and non-participation in PE among adolescents.'
• Coincidence analysis was used as the configurational comparative method.
• The approach allows identification of multi-factorial paths where several conditions must be jointly present.