Abstract
Background: parkrun has been successful in encouraging people in England to participate in their weekly 5km running and walking events. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in parkrun participation across different communities in England: after controlling for travel distances, deprived communities have significantly lower participation rates. Methods: This paper expands on previous findings by investigating disparities in parkrun participation by ethnic density. We combined geo-spatial data available through the Office for National Statistics with participation data provided by parkrun, and fitted multivariable Poisson regression models to study the effect of ethnic density on participation rates at the Lower layer Super Output Level. Results: We find that areas with higher ethnic density have lower participation rates. This effect is independent of deprivation. Conclusions: An opportunity exists for parkrun to engage with these communities and reduce potential barriers to participation.
Highlights
Par 1, line 1: I don’t think “collection” is the right word – it implies that they are in one place when parkrun’s main asset is that it is disseminated
Data was obtained from multiple sources for the 32,844 Lower layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in England, each of which is a geographical area containing around 1,500 people. parkrunUK provided data on the number of parkrun finishers from each LSOA in England between the 1st January and 10th December 2018, which we use as a proxy for parkrun participation, we appreciate that people participate in parkrun in other ways
Participation in parkrun varies across LSOAs, with around half of all communities (LSOA) averaging less than one finisher per week per 1,000 people
Summary
Par 1, line 1: I don’t think “collection” is the right word – it implies that they are in one place when parkrun’s main asset is that it is disseminated. A small wording revision should address this. Par 4, last sentence: word missing: density would have. It might be helpful to have a line about physical activity rates among ethnically diverse populations here – sport is not the only form of physical activity and you need to demonstrate that total activity, which is what matters for health, is lower than for other groups/communities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
