Abstract
In Western countries, the popularity of running events has increased exponentially during the last three decades. However, little is known about the profile of non-participants. This knowledge is crucial to tailor promotional actions towards people who are currently not participating. Therefore, this study aimed: (1) to examine which socio-ecological factors are related to participation in running events, (2) to give an overview of the barriers towards participation, and (3) to examine differences in barriers depending on gender, age and educational level. Flemish adults (n = 308) completed an online questionnaire about their socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics, physical activity levels, participation in running events and barriers towards participation. Results showed that motivation, family social support, knowledge about running events and physical activity levels were associated with participation in running events. Among non-participants, the main barriers were bad physical condition, lack of time and lack of interest. In participants, lack of time, distance to the event and financial barriers were most prevalent. With some exceptions, barriers were relatively similar across socio-demographic subgroups. This study confirmed a democratization among participants of running events and provided evidence about which barriers should be tackled to increase participation among population subgroups that are currently underrepresented in such events.
Highlights
Since the 1960s, the “running sport” has been growing internationally as part of a specific trend defined as “desportification and deinstitutionalization of the sport sector” [1,2,3]
The current study focused on short- and middle-distance running events and not on marathons, since participating in a marathon requires very intensive training that is often so physically demanding and requires such a high degree of fitness that it eliminates a large degree of the population from ever participating
The analysis revealed that the Relative Autonomy Index (RAI), social support from family, knowledge about events and min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were significantly associated with participation in running events
Summary
Since the 1960s, the “running sport” has been growing internationally as part of a specific trend defined as “desportification and deinstitutionalization of the sport sector” [1,2,3]. This trend implies that adults no longer engage in sports because of the competitive aspect, but mainly because sports are healthy, relaxing, adventurous or pleasant [1,4,5]. Running events are very popular in Flanders (the northern part of Belgium; 6.5 million inhabitants; 481.4 inhabitants/km2 ): Int. J. Public Health 2017, 14, 1315; doi:10.3390/ijerph14111315 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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
