A Comparison of Sporting Activities Across the Visegrad Group Countries

Abstract

Authors' contributionWkład autorów: A. Study design/planning zaplanowanie badań B. Data collection/entry zebranie danych C. Data analysis/statistics dane -analiza i statystyki D. Data interpretation interpretacja danych E. Preparation of manuscript przygotowanie artykułu F. Literature analysis/search wyszukiwanie i analiza literatury G. Funds collection zebranie funduszy SummaryBackground. EU efforts to exploit the positive social impact of sport have also been a priority in the Visegrad (V4) countries over the past decade. Our analysis aimed to compare the frequency of sports activities among the V4 countries' population and the effects of demographic, quality of life, sociocultural, socioeconomic, and sports infrastructural factors. Material and methods. The data analyzed are from the Special Eurobarometer 472 Sport and Physical Activity survey, conducted in 2017. All respondents (n=4,174) were over 15 years of age and resident in one of the four Visegrad countries. Frequency distribution, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression models (including 12 explanatory variables and regular sports as independent variable) were used. Results. Hungary had the highest rate (16%) of respondents participating in sporting activity at least three times a week, while the Czech Republic had the highest rate of weekly regularity (31%), and the lowest inactivity rate (42%). In Poland, the inactivity rate was 62%. Age, education, and social status had a significant effect on the frequency of sports in all four countries. Conclusions. This paper highlights the slowly changeable role of demographic, sociocultural, and socioeconomic structures in influencing the frequency of sporting activity among the V4 countries, and underlines the potentially quick impact of sports infrastructure.

The Social and Economic Importance of Sports

“…Sports encouragement measures are seen as positive expenditures to prevent future negative consequences of the population's inactivity, as opposed to post-damage repairing expenses, such as public health research on improving individuals or communities on a socio-economic level. Economic, social, and demographic characteristics were most frequently researched (Hovemann & Wicker, 2009;Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Downward et al, 2014;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014;Laczkó et al, 2020;Magno et al, 2020). The age of individuals negatively affects the regularity, frequency, or intensity of sports participation, in some country-specific cases (e. g. Slovakia) (Laczkó et al, 2020).…”

“…Economic, social, and demographic characteristics were most frequently researched (Hovemann & Wicker, 2009;Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Downward et al, 2014;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014;Laczkó et al, 2020;Magno et al, 2020). The age of individuals negatively affects the regularity, frequency, or intensity of sports participation, in some country-specific cases (e. g. Slovakia) (Laczkó et al, 2020). Men tend to engage in sports and physical activities more regularly, as show studies for the EU (Hovemann & Wicker, 2009), England and Spain (Kokolakakis et al, 2012), and for Brazil (Magno et al, 2020).…”

“…Men and women also have different reasoning for active sports participation (Magno et al, 2020;Ley, 2020). Thus, a gender-sensitive approach should be considered when making policies encouraging sports activity (Ley, 2020;Laczkó et al, 2020).…”

“…In the 2000s, more educated and employed people spent significantly less time in sports activities (Hovemann & Wicker, 2009). In the 2010s, the population changed its habits, and people with higher levels of education (Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014;Magno et al, 2020, Laczkó et al, 2020, as well as people in active employment and with longer working hours (Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014), start to engage more in physical and sports activities. Most recently, white-collar job holders see sports participation as part of their lifestyle (Laczkó et al, 2020).…”

“…In the 2010s, the population changed its habits, and people with higher levels of education (Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014;Magno et al, 2020, Laczkó et al, 2020, as well as people in active employment and with longer working hours (Kokolakakis et al, 2012;Hallmann & Breuer, 2014), start to engage more in physical and sports activities. Most recently, white-collar job holders see sports participation as part of their lifestyle (Laczkó et al, 2020). Married individuals and those with children engage in sports activities less regularly (Hovemann & Wicker, 2009) than single individuals (Laczkó et al, 2020).…”