Keeping Them in the Game: Taking Up and Dropping Out of Sport and Exercise in Ireland

Abstract

This report presents the most comprehensive statistical analysis of active participation in sport and physical exercise in Ireland undertaken to date. We employ three large, nationally representative datasets, which together contain information on the participation of people in Ireland from the last years of primary school through to old age. The research takes as its starting point that the predominant concern for society and, hence, for sports policy, is to increase the proportion of the population who engage in regular sport and physical exercise. This presumption is based on compelling evidence that low levels of physical activity increase the likelihood of developing serious degenerative diseases, including heart disease and various cancers. While participation in sport also makes a significant social and cultural contribution to society, improving physical and mental wellbeing is the primary motivation for participants and increasing the numbers who participate is a public health goal.