Motivation to Improve Mental Wellbeing via Community Physical Activity Initiatives and the Associated Impacts-A Cross-Sectional Survey of UK parkrun Participants.

Allison Dunne,Alice Bullas,Helen Quirk,Steve Haake

doi:10.3390/ijerph182413072

Abstract

Participation in regular physical activity is a well-established strategy to support good mental wellbeing in adults with, and without, mental health conditions. The physical activity initiative parkrun is a free, weekly, timed, running and walking event which is attended by people from the local community of all abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental wellbeing of UK parkrun participants along with their motives for taking part and the impact of participation. Mental health conditions were self-reported in 2.5% of 60,000 respondents to an online survey of parkrunners, with the most prevalent being depression and anxiety. Those with mental health conditions were more motivated than those without to first participate in parkrun to manage their health conditions and improve their mental health. Those with mental health conditions were equally motivated to improve their physical health when compared to those without, and reported similar levels of improvement. Mental wellbeing scores for those with mental health conditions were close to the normal range, suggesting that engagement in parkrun may have had a role in limiting the effect of their illness. Community initiatives could replicate parkrun’s model, and use the potential for both mental and physical health improvement, as well as health condition management, as a motivation for participation.

Highlights

IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Those with a mental health condition tended to be younger, less likely to live in a deprived neighbourhood and did fewer parkruns per year than those without a condition. They were motivated to first participate in parkrun to manage their health conditions and improve their mental health and happiness; they perceived greater impact of parkrun for the first two of these motives. Those with a mental health condition were less motivated to first participate in parkrun to improve their fitness large proportions reported improvements to both this and their physical health that they attributed to parkrun participation
The body of research suggests that parkrun attendance can support good mental wellbeing in parkrun participants without mental health conditions

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Good mental health and wellbeing are more than the absence of mental illness [1,2,3]: they have been described as a resource for everyday life [4]. The term mental wellbeing is often used interchangeably with positive mental health [5]. Subjective mental wellbeing relates to happiness, pleasure and life satisfaction along with personal growth and meaning in life [6]. Good mental wellbeing is a protective factor against developing future mental illness [7,8] and can even prevent or delay some physical health conditions [4,9]

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