Revealed: Why we’d rather get fat than fit
WALES is in the throes of an obesity epidemic, with around 60% of the population now classed as overweight or obese.
And latest figures show that nearly a third of adults across the country take part in less than 30 minutes of exercise a week.
In a bid to improve this statistic, Cardiff University researchers have conducted an in-depth study to find out what deters people from exercising.
It concluded that work-life commitments, safety while running alone and busy roads were the main barriers in getting people to exercise regularly.
And it appears Welsh women are far more reluctant to get their running shoes on than men – because many don’t like running in front of a crowd.
The research team worked with first-time runners taking part in the mass race at the IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff in March 2016.
They were asked what motivated them to become physically active, what the barriers to remaining active were and what could be done to continue the activity.
Dr Liba Sheeran, who led the study, said: “We know that physical activity is good for our health but the challenge is understanding how we can instil a lasting change in the nation’s physical activity and exercise behaviours.
“Although mass races provide motivation and opportunity, it is not clear whether that alone is enough to ensure a long-term change in someone’s behaviour and take up regular exercise. The results showed that big events do indeed motivate people to get active and stay active, however injuries can be a problem for novice runners with seven out of 10 runners reporting injuries.”
The main barrier for taking up regular exercise was work-life commitments and was cited by around eight out of 10 people.
It was followed by safety which was expressed by almost one-third of women and 15% of men, and running on busy roads (12%).
Many novice runners in the extensive study said they were not attracted to running clubs.
And race cost was also deemed a barrier, with more than eight out of 10 saying their decision to enter the World Half Marathon was influenced by the IAAF offering free places under its social responsibility scheme.
Men and women gave different concerns for not wanting to start running, with women worried about not being fully prepared and running in front of a crowd, while men cited not achieving their target.
Researchers suggested separate strategies targeting women and men is therefore required to get people active. Despite these barriers, many positive reasons were given for running, including a sense of wellbeing, reported by 28% of respondents, getting outdoors (22%) and better health (20%).
The vast majority of runners found that using running monitoring apps or keeping a training diary were helpful strategies to continue to run.
Almost every respondent reported an intention to keep running. The vast majority of respondents who completed the six-month follow-up survey reported that they were continuing to exercise.
First-time runner Ali Abdi, who took part in the research and has since helped set up a running group in Grangetown, Cardiff, as part of a Cardiff University engagement project, said: “Running is a fun, sociable and relatively cheap way to keep fit.
“The study found that novice runners were not attracted to traditional running clubs, but Run Grangetown is different because we’re particularly aimed at first-timers with an emphasis on enjoyment.”
As part of the study, the runners were invited to take part in two surveys, one before the race and one six months later. They were also offered two different injury prevention programmes through the university’s Inspire Performance Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Team, led by Professor Nicola Phillips, in the build-up to the event.
The research team, which included several physiotherapists, want their findings to be used to help encourage people to take up running as an exercise.
Matt Newman, Welsh Athletics and Cardiff 2016 Race Organisers Run 4 Wales chief executive, said: “Welsh Athletics have developed the Run Wales social running programme over the past two years with the aim of inspiring, encouraging and supporting every adult in Wales to run, and this study will allow us to continue to break down barriers that prevent new runners participating.”