Running prevalence in Portugal: Socio-demographic, behavioral and psychosocial characteristics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to cross-sectionally estimate the prevalence of recreational running in Portugal and describe characteristics of adult recreational runners. A random representative sample of 1068 Portuguese adults was selected. Socio-demographic information, physical activity habits and running behavior were assessed. Recreational runners’ training habits, motivations, barriers, vitality and flow were also assessed. The prevalence of recreational running in Portugal was 10.6%. It was higher in men (14.6% vs. 6.6%, p = .024) and in younger runners (13.6% vs. 7.7%, p = .026). Participants ran on average 3 times, 20 kilometers and 3 hours per week. General health orientation (88%), self-esteem (63%), and life meaning (57%) were the most predominant motives for running, while time was the most prevalent barrier (43%). This first Portuguese running prevalence representative study, indicates that almost 11% of adults ran regularly, and describes correlates of running, which can inform future running promotion interventions.

Systematic Review of Psychological and Behavioral Correlates of Recreational Running

“…Motives such as competition and health (Ogles and Masters, 2000) or personal goal achievement (Pereira et al, 2021) were associated with weekly training distance, while enjoyment anticipated the adoption of regular running (Titze et al, 2005). Although one study found an interaction between high enjoyment and high family support in the prediction of running behavior (Titze et al, 2005), another found no significant main or interaction effects of social condition (Carnes et al, 2016).…”

“…Studies comparing motives between different groups found that age (Ogles and Masters, 2000), gender (Tjelta et al, 2017), experience in running (Masters and Ogles, 1995), training profile (Ogles et al, 1995), and type of event (Doppelmayr and Molkenthin, 2004) were associated with different motives. Younger runners were more motivated by personal goal achievement and competition (Pereira et al, 2021). In opposition, older runners were more motivated by health orientation, weight concern, life meaning, and affiliation with other runners (Ogles and Masters, 2000).…”

“…Concerning the amount of training and commitment to running, data suggest that weekly distance was associated with personal goal achievement (Pereira et al, 2021). Similarly, runners registered for a marathon event, running more than 45 miles and intending to continue after the race, were more likely to endorse competition, personal goal achievement, and recognition, as motives for continued training; in turn, less serious runners (registered for a 5K race, not having participated in a marathon, training <15 miles per week and intending to continue after the race) endorsed more of a general health orientation (Masters and Ogles, 1995).…”

“…Finally, three studies describing runners behaviors found that 85.2% of runners set goals for their chosen events, 80.1% trained alone and with others (Krouse et al, 2011), more than 90% of runners systematically prepared themselves for the competition (Piot, 2015), 73% of the participants prefer to run alone, 69% do other physical activities besides running, 69% use technology during running sessions, and 68% report running in a natural setting (Pereira et al, 2021).…”

“…Although determined with different criteria, running prevalence in European countries varies between 31% in Denmark (considering running regularly in the last 12 months), 19% in Belgium (considering running as a leisure-time sports activity) and France, 18% in the Netherlands (considering participating at least once a year in a running activity), 15% in Finland, 13% in Germany, 6% in Spain, and 5% in the UK (considering running for at least four occasions in the previous 28 days, for at least 30 minutes, at moderate or vigorous intensity) (Scheerder et al, 2015). Portuguese adults indicated that running was the preferred leisure-time PA for 18% of men and for 8% of women (Teixeira et al, 2019), and the overall prevalence of recreational runners (considering at least two sessions and 60 min per week) was 10.6% (Pereira et al, 2021). Regarding non-European countries, there was a rate of participation in running and jogging activities of 16% in Australia (ASC, 2016) and 15% in the USA (Running-USA, 2017).…”