Matrices of (dis)advantage – school segregation and social inequities in adolescent physical activity from an intersectionality approach

Tackling inequities and inequalities related to adolescents' engagement in physical activity and sport is highlighted in recent research. However, rarely addressed are the issues of intersecting hierarchal systems of power that interlocks on both micro and macro levels, affecting how physical activity patterns express social memberships across several contexts. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how adolescents' physical activity during leisure and school hours expressed intersecting social positions and institutional school segregation, using a critical intersectionality approach. Nested in a larger study, a cross-sectional design was applied, including a total of 1139 adolescents in grade 7 (age 13-14) from Swedish school settings. Data was retrieved from surveys, accelerometers, and national registries. Descriptive statistics and stratified analyses were performed to examine levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school and leisure hours connected to intersecting social positions and school segregation contexts. The statistical analysis indicated that MVPA, to varying extents, expressed both individual social position and school segregation across the sub-groups explored. Inequalities in MVPA were closer connected to intercategorical gendered social positions in school contexts, rather than during leisure hours. However, there were significant intracategorical differences among girls during leisure hours across segregated contexts. Our results suggest that the power structures of school segregation together with educational and sport logics intertwined seem to 'disadvantage' especially girls with a non-ethnically Swedish background. Yet, it also highlights a need to problematize 'the absent minority girl' in equity focused physical activity research. This study emphasizes how an intersectionality approach can shed light on social (dis)advantages connected to adolescents' MVPA from two poles of power, contributing to a more comprehensive and critical understanding of social inequities in physical activity and health research.