PARTICIPATION IN SPORT

Assessment 3: Participation in Sport

Assessment 3: Participation in Sport

Introduction

The Active People Survey (APS) is a telephone survey conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Sport England. It measures the degree of participation in physical activity of adults (people aged over 16) living in England. The survey began in 2005 and is carried out every year. The survey is conducted across all the local government in England and includes the self-reported levels of physical activity in the last four weeks before the interview.

The possibility of a biasness in the Active People Survey is high. Respondents were asked about physical activity during the last four weeks. Self-report responses for the physical activity may be exaggerated by the respondents. The respondents were asked to recall the duration of each activity and the intensity level of thr activity. This introduces an error of memory, as respondents could recall more or less activity than they actually did. It is unclear whether the sample is truly representative of the study population. It is important to remember that the indicator such as walking and cycling for transport are not comparable with the national index published by Sport England. The active people survey is very important in gathering knowledge regarding the physical activities of people of England. The survey is used by Sport Engalnd to properly facilitate the sporting and physical needs of the people and to create awareness regarding the importance of the sports and physical activities.

Active people survey has its limitations in methodology. The study was cross-sectional, which is considered a weak research design due to the generation of hypotheses and provision of measures of the association rather than actually the causal factors. If population-based longitudinal cohort methodology had been implemented, the trend in sports and physical activity participation could have been determined. There is also a limitation of social desirability, in this case the tendency of people to over-report physical activity and underestimate sedentary pursuits such as watching TV.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Be more Healthy and fit

Sports and physical Activities are the most effective way to lose weight. I always found it much harder to lose weight with diet alone in associating it to a sport. Furthermore, sport can possibly help you gain muscle or tone up your shape. As everyone knows, regular physical activity reduces cardiovascular risk and prevents diabetes.

To improve mood and reduce stress

Physical Activity is one of the most effective ...