shirl
05-23-2008, 12:20 PM
MEMBERS of the Bebo generation aren't the couch potatoes we might have thought as a new study finds they play far more sport than their parents' generation.
Young adults are playing two-thirds as much sport as their parents although they generally prefer to go it alone, with individual activities such as aerobics, swimming or jogging rather than team games.
Participation in team sports such as soccer, basketball and rugby has also jumped dramatically over the past 20 years, participation in GAA (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Gaelic+Athletic+Association) games is in relative decline.
The study, 'Sporting Lives', was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Economic+and+Social+Research+Institute) in conjunction with the Irish Sports Council (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Irish+Sports+Council). It found that participation levels peaked at the age of 15 when 78pc of teenagers were playing sports regularly.
Over three-quarters of all sporting activity among adults is in individual pursuits with the most popular sporting activity of all aerobics and keep-fit.
And there is a large 'gender gap' when it comes to sport. Up to the age of 10, boys play more sport compared to girls. The gap closes during early second-level education when girls take up more sport -- however, this is only short-lived.
The report's authors found that the options offered to girls at second-level were largely unappealing to them, with the result that, by the age of 20, two-thirds of men were playing sport compared to just over a third of women.
However, they said the gender gap was not down to women simply having less interest in sport than men as the research found that, as adults, women were just as likely to take up sport and drop out of it as men. Instead, the gap arose from their different experiences as children.
Impact
The study also found that regular participation in sport could have a dramatic impact on health and was the equivalent to being 14 years younger.
An adult who played a lot of sports in their youth was three years younger in health terms than an adult who had low participation.
The study compared the most popular childhood sports played by older adults, those aged 45 to 54, and adults, those aged from 18 to 29.
Basketball was top of the list, with participation up over 250pc between the generations, followed by swimming, badminton, golf, soccer and rugby.
The biggest loser was tennis, which saw the numbers taking part fall by 30pc between the generations.
There was a small increase in the popularity of hurling and camogie; however, Gaelic football failed to register any increase and actually saw participation decline slightly.
- Breda Heffernan
Young adults are playing two-thirds as much sport as their parents although they generally prefer to go it alone, with individual activities such as aerobics, swimming or jogging rather than team games.
Participation in team sports such as soccer, basketball and rugby has also jumped dramatically over the past 20 years, participation in GAA (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Gaelic+Athletic+Association) games is in relative decline.
The study, 'Sporting Lives', was conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Economic+and+Social+Research+Institute) in conjunction with the Irish Sports Council (http://www.independent.ie/topics/Irish+Sports+Council). It found that participation levels peaked at the age of 15 when 78pc of teenagers were playing sports regularly.
Over three-quarters of all sporting activity among adults is in individual pursuits with the most popular sporting activity of all aerobics and keep-fit.
And there is a large 'gender gap' when it comes to sport. Up to the age of 10, boys play more sport compared to girls. The gap closes during early second-level education when girls take up more sport -- however, this is only short-lived.
The report's authors found that the options offered to girls at second-level were largely unappealing to them, with the result that, by the age of 20, two-thirds of men were playing sport compared to just over a third of women.
However, they said the gender gap was not down to women simply having less interest in sport than men as the research found that, as adults, women were just as likely to take up sport and drop out of it as men. Instead, the gap arose from their different experiences as children.
Impact
The study also found that regular participation in sport could have a dramatic impact on health and was the equivalent to being 14 years younger.
An adult who played a lot of sports in their youth was three years younger in health terms than an adult who had low participation.
The study compared the most popular childhood sports played by older adults, those aged 45 to 54, and adults, those aged from 18 to 29.
Basketball was top of the list, with participation up over 250pc between the generations, followed by swimming, badminton, golf, soccer and rugby.
The biggest loser was tennis, which saw the numbers taking part fall by 30pc between the generations.
There was a small increase in the popularity of hurling and camogie; however, Gaelic football failed to register any increase and actually saw participation decline slightly.
- Breda Heffernan