MEN WHO are in relationships walk much more than single men, and healthy habits formed during partnerships tend to continue even if the couples go their separate ways, new research has found.
About 60 per cent of partnered, separated and divorced men go walking for recreation, compared to less than 40 per cent of single men, according to a report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) which was commissioned by the Irish Sports Council.
Young, single men are the demographic group least likely to take walks.
“It seems that we’ve found a ‘couple effect’. Men that become involved in couples become far more likely to go for walks.
“This happens at quite a young age, so our assumption would be that they are walking with their partner, not to get away from them,” said the the ESRI’s Dr Pete Lunn, author of the first annual Irish Sports Monitor.
An interesting fact to emerge in this 125th anniversary year of the Gaelic Athletics Association is that there are now more gym members than GAA members.
In 2003, GAA clubs had the highest membership rates of all sports clubs. Now they have been surpassed by gyms and fitness centres, with almost 10 per cent of adults declaring membership.
There is little overlap between the two groups: less than 5 per cent of gym members are also GAA members.
Individual sports are now dominating grassroots participation in adult sport and exercise, with yoga and jogging found to be fast-growing activities for the solo sportsperson.
However, a fall-off in individual sporting activity was noted towards the end of 2007, which may be associated with the economic downturn. Dr Lunn said seasonal influences such as the weather, the approach of Christmas, and upheaval associated with the new academic term may have been factors.
“An intriguing alternative is that the effect is not seasonal but is associated with the rapidly deteriorating economic climate during late 2007.”
Gaelic football and hurling remain the leading sports for social participation.
The report describes the GAA as “the outstanding example regarding sports-related volunteering”.
The report also looked at levels of participation in sport in different parts of the State.
It found that people living in Mayo and the Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown local authority area were the most active.
Residents of Dublin city, Limerick, Kildare, Offaly, Leitrim and Westmeath recorded low participation.
