Gilburn Andre S
Healthy Environments: Sustainable Societies Research Group, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023 Aug 16;3(8):e0001786. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001786. eCollection 2023.
Physical activity is essential for promoting good health and reducing burdens on healthcare systems. parkrun organise free weekly events where participants complete a 5km route. Studies have identified characteristics of participants associated with lower levels of participation. The aim of the study was to identify predictors of the likelihood of returning to parkrun for first-time adult participants. The return rate of adult first-time participants was determined for all 5km parkrun events in Scotland over a 1-year period from February 2019. The dataset consisted of 20,191 adult participants made up of 11,459 females and 8,732 males across 58 venues. A General Linear Mixed Model was used to identify factors associated with return rate. Return rates were negatively correlated with event size and positively correlated with the proportion of first-time adult participants at the event. Age was positively correlated with return rate and males were more likely to return. New participants that finished in a relatively slow time were disproportionately less likely to return. Return rates were positively correlated with the amount of freshwater and woodland on the route. These findings provide potential opportunities to manage events to enhance their efficacy. Specific events could be promoted as first-timer days to encourage new participants to attend together. New events could be prioritised in proximity to events that currently experience high attendances to reduce attendances locally. As the presence of freshwater and woodland are associated with higher return these habitats could play a role in generating the benefits of green exercise. If so the creation of more routes running through or alongside these habitats could be beneficial. The findings are likely to be widely applicable to other mass participation events and those interesting in understanding the mechanism by which green exercise provides its benefits.
体育活动对于促进健康和减轻医疗系统负担至关重要。“公园跑”组织每周一次的免费活动，参与者需完成一条5公里的路线。研究已确定了与较低参与水平相关的参与者特征。本研究的目的是确定首次参加的成年参与者再次参加“公园跑”可能性的预测因素。从2019年2月起的1年时间里，对苏格兰所有5公里“公园跑”活动中成年首次参与者的回归率进行了测定。数据集由20,191名成年参与者组成，包括58个场地的11,459名女性和8,732名男性。使用广义线性混合模型来确定与回归率相关的因素。回归率与活动规模呈负相关，与活动中成年首次参与者的比例呈正相关。年龄与回归率呈正相关，男性更有可能回归。完成时间相对较慢的新参与者再次参加的可能性明显较低。回归率与路线上淡水和林地的数量呈正相关。这些发现为管理活动以提高其效果提供了潜在机会。特定活动可以宣传为新手日，以鼓励新参与者一起参加。新活动可以优先安排在当前参与人数较多的活动附近，以减少当地的参与人数。由于淡水和林地的存在与更高的回归率相关联，这些栖息地可能在产生绿色运动的益处方面发挥作用。如果是这样, 创建更多穿过或沿着这些栖息地的路线可能会有益处。这些发现可能广泛适用于其他大规模参与活动以及那些有兴趣了解绿色运动带来益处机制的活动
