Abstract
The aim of research is to assess the correlation between socio-demographic factors and swimming activity among the working population of Warsaw. The questionnaire survey included 4405 randomly selected residents of Warsaw. The correlation between the swimming activity and the variables characterizing the socio-demographic structure of the respondents were assessed by log-linear modelling. The significance of the impact of factors included in the analysis was determined using the chi-square test. Thirty-five per cent of the respondents declared recreational swimming. Gender, age, BMI, education, occupation, and income were significantly related to the swimming activity. Women (33%) – compared to men (38%) – were almost 1.2 times less likely to participate in swimming; similarly, overweight people (33%, OR = 0.90) and obese people (33%, OR = 0.92). People from Warsaw from 20–29 years (43%), with higher education (40%), incomes above the national average (40%), and representing the profession of an actor (52%), swam relatively more often. The results of the study might help in developing marketing plans and market segmentation strategies, as well as in forecasting the development trends of the leisure activity.
Highlights
An active lifestyle is associated with a number of benefits important for society (Stephenson et al, 2000; Sallis & Owen, 1999) and health (WHO, 2002)
The groups were distinguished according to International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO; www.ilo.org); in the case of teachers, healthcare professionals, and actors originally representing the same category, it was decided to analyse these groups separately, as the representatives of these groups may be regarded as creators of the behaviour patterns and may influence behaviour of the general population (Cardinal, 2001; Cardon et al, 2009; Lobelo et al, 2009)
The same was true with regards to income, which variable was included into the analysis despite a significant proportion of missing data
Summary
An active lifestyle is associated with a number of benefits important for society (Stephenson et al, 2000; Sallis & Owen, 1999) and health (WHO, 2002). To obtain an explanation of the scale and nature of social disparities in this area, an analysis of the determinants of participation in active forms of leisure time is required. The active forms of leisure activities of various socio-professional groups are the subjects of many sociological studies. When it comes to swimming, which is one of the most popular disciplines in Poland, studies mostly regard methods of teaching. They are mostly designed to fulfil sport-related objectives and described from the standpoint of the theory of sport. The purpose of this study is to assess the correlation between demographic factors, such as sex, age, BMI, marital status, occupation, education, as well as income, and one of the most popular forms of physical education undertaken by respondents – swimming
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