4147.4.55.001 - Culture and Recreation News, Mar 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/03/2006   
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SPORT - WHO PLAYS AND WHO DOESN'T?

Papers on participation in sport and leisure activities by children and participation in sport and physical activities by adults were presented late last year - at the National Physical Activity conference in Melbourne in October, and at the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand conference in Canberra in November, respectively.

The paper on children's participation in organised sport was summarised in the August 2005 newsletter. The analysis found that socioeconomic indicators have a noticeable association with levels of participation as, to a lesser extent, do the age and sex of the child. For adults, a similar analysis of data from the 2002 General Social Survey showed that a range of indicators were associated with participation. People were less likely to participate in sport and physical activity if they

  • had poor proficiency in English
  • had below average self-assessed health status
  • were females aged 25-44
  • were aged over 45, whether male or female
  • had little social contact or access to transport.

The conference papers are available at:
The Young and the Restful (Re-visited) - The Effects of Recreational Choices and Demographic Factors on Children's Participation in Sport. and Sport and Related Recreational Physical Activity - The Social Correlates of Participation and Non-Participation by Adults. Further information about the conference papers may be obtained from Mike Stratton on (08) 8237 7399 or by emailing <nccrs@abs.gov.au>.