Barriers to initiating and maintaining participation in parkrun

2023

Preprint

Physical activity is essential to combating the obesity epidemic. parkrun organise free weekly 5km events. Previous studies have identified characteristics of people that act as barriers to new registrants engaging in and returning to events. The current study identifies characteristics of parkrun events that are associated with the return rate of new participants. The return rate of adult first-time participants to parkrun was determined for all events in Scotland over a 1-year period between 2/2019 and 1/2020. A GLMM was used to determine factors associated with whether they returned to parkrun. Return rates were higher for smaller events and events with more other first-time participants. Older participants and male participants were more likely to return. Those that finished in a relatively slow time were disproportionately less likely to return. Events with routes that run alongside freshwater had higher return rates for women. New participants at parkrun are more likely to return if they attended a smaller event suggesting that parkrun should continue to create new events to make parkrun more efficient at retaining new participants. New participants also returned more readily if they attended an event with a high proportion of other adult new participants so specific recruitment events could be advertised to encourage new participants to attend their first event together. New events could be prioritised in proximity to those events that currently experience the highest attendances.

“…Return rates to parkrun The overall return rate of 64.18% is higher than the 61.95% reported in an earlier study [13].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 64%

Characteristics of parkrun That Encourage New Participants to Return

2023

Preprint

“…Individual participants increase their performance revealing tness bene ts of participating in parkrun. Women are known to have greater barriers to engaging in sporting activity and a recent study has revealed that this also applies to parkrun [30]. This study reveals that women are more likely to attend remoter events on slower surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Increasingly unfit new parkrunners and a narrowing gender gap in attendance suggest parkrun is becoming more inclusive

2022

Preprint

Background: parkrun is a weekly mass participation event that encourages people to exercise. All finishes are recorded with the parkrun results database likely to contain a wealth of potentially important public health information on the fitness benefits from attending and the participation patterns of different groups. The aim was to conduct the first quantitative assessment of performance and attendance of participants at parkrun using general linear mixed models to identify characteristics of events that might help overcome barriers to participation and to identify if there are changing patterns in the demographics of parkrun participants. Study design: The study conducted linear and binomial mixed models of age-graded performance, gender ratio and age of participants at every parkrun event held in Scotland. Predictor variables included age, gender, parkrun ID number, number of runs, date of event, elevation gain, surface type and travelling time to the next nearest parkrun event venue. Results: There was a decline in the mean performance of participants at events, however individual performances showed a trend towards improvement. The gender ratio shows higher male participation although the gender gap is narrowing. Events in the most remote parts of Scotland had the lowest age graded performance scores and the highest proportion of female participants with more females than males attending the remotest events. Events on slower surfaces had a higher proportion of female participants. Conclusion: This study reports that parkrun events are becoming more inclusive with new participants increasingly being poor performing and female. In remoter parts of Scotland more females participate in parkrun than males revealing parkrun has seemingly overcome traditional barriers to female participation in sport. Events with slower surfaces had more female participants. Prioritising the creation of events at more remote locations and on slower surfaces could increase inclusivity and widen participation further. These findings could also help general practitioners prescribe those events that are most likely to benefit new participants making the parkrun practice initiative more effective. For example, women might be encouraged to attend traditionally slower events than men. It is concluded that parkrun is not only a highly successful public health initiative but it is also increasing its attractiveness to those who would benefit most from physical activity.

“…Individual participants improve their performance, revealing the fitness benefits of participating in parkrun. Women are known to have greater barriers to engaging in sporting activity, and a recent study has revealed that this also applies to parkrun [ 30 ]. This study reveals that women are more likely to attend remoter events on slower surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Parkrunners Are Slower and the Attendance Gender Gap Narrowing Making Parkrun More Inclusive

2023

IJERPH

Parkrun is a weekly mass-participation event. Finishes are recorded, with the resulting database potentially containing important public health information. The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of events that overcome barriers to participation, and to identify changing patterns in the demographics of participants. GLMMs were generated of age-graded performance, gender ratio and age of participants at Scottish parkrun events. Predictor variables included age, gender, participant, runs, date, elevation gain, surface and travelling time to the next nearest venue. There was a decline in the mean performance of participants at events, yet individual performances improved. The gender ratio showed higher male participation with a narrowing gender gap. Events in the most remote parts of Scotland had lower performance and a higher proportion of female participants. Events on slower surfaces had more female participants. Parkrun events are becoming more inclusive, with more females and participants exhibiting low performance. In more remote parts of Scotland, more females participated in parkrun than males, suggesting parkrun has overcome traditional barriers to female participation in sport. Prioritising the creation of events at remote locations and on slower surfaces could increase inclusivity further. General practitioners prescribing parkrun might want to prescribe attendance at slower events for female patients.