A new survey shows that the public's attitude towards sport has changed, writes Giles Warrington
IRELAND IS A sports-mad country. The mass exodus of 60,000 supporters to Cardiff to witness Munster regain the Heineken European Cup is testimony to this. But does this passion and enthusiasm for sport go beyond the armchair or the terraces?
Last week saw the publication of a major research project conducted jointly by the ERSI and Irish Sports Council entitled Sporting Lives: An Analysis of a Lifetime of Irish Sport, which investigated current levels of participation in sport and exercise.
The survey comprised a representative sample of 3,080 Irish adults. Based on a series of questions about past involvement in sport, an individual sport history was constructed for each respondent. In the survey, "sport" was defined as "all kinds of personal exercise activities, such as swimming, jogging and going to the gym, as well as more traditional field games like soccer ad Gaelic games".
The survey analysed how participation had changed over the past few decades as well as the demographics of this change over the life cycle. Based on the evidence, participation appears to peak around the age of 15, where 78 per cent of the most recent generation were actively engaged, drops during late teens and is followed by a gradual decline throughout adulthood.
Reporting participation rates in isolation can be misleading as no account is taken of intensity or duration of the exercise undertaken. As a result, though participation rates have increased, based on the reported findings it is not possible to determine what proportion of those actively participating in sport were attaining the minimum recommended physical activity levels.
One of the key findings of the survey was that over the past few decades, Irish people are participating in far more sport and physical exercise for recreation. The research suggests that the typical young adult under the age of 30 plays two-thirds more sport than their parents.
As a consequence they are likely to engage in more exercise and recreational activity in their lifetimes and gain from the associated health benefits.
Those who participate in sport and exercise generally experience better physical and mental health. Based on the evidence the survey authors estimate that the health benefits of regular participation is equivalent to being 14 years younger.
In terms of the extent of past participation, the health difference between those with low and high levels of sports activity is suggested to be equivalent to being three years younger.
The overall pattern of sports participation reported indicates that, in relative terms, there has been a shift away from Gaelic games and a rapid rise in individual and other team sports.
While participation rates in Gaelic games have not necessarily declined, there has been a marked rise in those engaging in other sports and, in particular, personal exercise activities such as aerobics, going to the gym, swimming and jogging.
Much of the increase in those engaging in regular exercise over the past 20 years has been associated with the "keep-fit" boom, where the number of young adults participating in this category rose by 12 per cent per year.
Based on this trend continuing, the research suggests that this category is now the most popular form of sport and exercise undertaken in Ireland. At the same time, participation rates in other team sports such as soccer, rugby and basketball have also increased markedly.
The report also highlights the gaps that exist in the levels of sports participation across different socio-economic groups. The impact of social disadvantage is evident from a very young age and this socio-economic gap appears to widen across the life span.
Not only is drop-out greater but the likelihood of taking up a new sport in early adulthood is less. The deficiencies in sport and exercise participation rates associated with lower socio-economic groupings are also suggested to contribute to inequalities in health and wellbeing.
Based on the data, there appears to be gender differences in sports participation across the life cycle. Differences appear manifest before the age of 10, but narrow somewhat at secondary level. By the age of 20, two-thirds of male respondents were playing sport compared with only 36 per cent of females.
In terms of behaviours and attitude to sport, it seems that females are just as likely to take up a new sport and no more likely to drop out than males in early adulthood.
It appears therefore that the gender gap in sports participation arises from different opportunities and experiences that boys and girls are exposed to as children.
The report concludes that sports policy, in particular funding, needs to evolve and reflect the changing pattern of grassroots sports participation in Ireland as presented in the survey.
In particular, the recognition of the growing trend towards individual sports and the promotion of greater participation by making sport more accessible and affordable to all sections of society should be a priority.
Finally, the policymakers need to engage with key agencies such as schools and sports clubs to ensure that girls are given the same opportunities and encouragement to participate in suitable sporting activities.
• Dr Giles Warrington is a sport and exercise physiologist and lecturer in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University