Exciting Research for Flora Women's Mini Marathon participants
Flora Women's Mini Marathon Research
ISC funded research study aims to enhance supports to participants to keep them active for longer
There’s nothing like the anticipation of a big event! When you are taking part, there’s a buzz, somewhere between fear and excitement, electricity in the air. When you are a spectator, on All-Ireland Day, say, or watching an Olympic final, the adrenaline pumps as well. And when it’s all over….there’s a residue… the post-mortem, memories, feelings, maybe some resolutions for next time around. And what then? For some of us, the event and the physical preparation it entailed is put away until the bug bites again, maybe next year, or some time in the future. For seasoned campaigners, the event might be just another day of activity. For others, however, the event might ignite a spark of motivation-be the catalyst for a more active life.
And herein lies the interesting question…do big events, which we shall now term ‘mass events’, have an important role to play in making the population more active? And if they do, shouldn’t their role in affecting public health be recognised as such? Indeed, it is often suggested that even being a spectator in mass events causes an increase in participation-do more kids play tennis after Wimbledon? Do more kids join soccer clubs after the World Cup? Or will watching the London Olympic Games, so close to our shores, cause us to rise from our couches and spring into action?
The organisers of the London Olympics certainly think so! In their bid for the 2012 Games, the organising committee claimed that the Games would “inspire a new generation to greater sporting activity and achievement, helping to foster a healthy and active nation.” (www.london2012.org). Newspaper reports following the Sydney Olympic Games claimed a “rising of the couch potatoes” (Gordon and Hart, 2001), and a more active population as a result.
And what is the evidence that such an effect occurs after a mass event? Recently, Dr Niamh Murphy from the Department of Health Sport and Exercise Science at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) spent some time at the University of Sydney in Australia with Professor Adrian Bauman attempting to answer this question, and the results are to be published shortly in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health in the U.S. Major, elite events, such as the Olympic Games, were considered, where the population are involved primarily as spectators, as well as mass participation events such as city road races etc.
The interesting thing is, in spite of all the grand claims, very few evaluations of the impact of events on the physical activity of populations have taken place. We don’t know if mass events attract already active people, or inspire first time exercisers. We don’t know if people give up post event, or, if they remain active, for how long does the habit last? But this year, a study by researchers at WIT, in collaboration with the organisers of the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon and funded by the Irish Sports Council, will attempt to answer some of these questions.
When women enter the 2007 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon, either on-line or by post, they will be invited to complete a brief survey about their physical activity habits. The on-line survey can be done automatically, and takes just a few minutes. If they consent, participants will be sent a follow up survey 6 weeks and 6 months post-event to measure their activity and tell us what would help them be more active.
By way of a ‘thank you’ for people’s effort, a draw for a walking holiday to the Azores, sponsored by Sunway, will be held amongst all survey participants. Next year, for the 2008 event, the plan is to try and offer women some additional support to keep them active for longer. We hope that, by talking to meet and train groups countrywide, women will help us provide supports that will be relevant to them, and in the form they require.
So, what’s in it for the women of Ireland, and for organisers and sponsors of mass events? This work might help us tailor events to suit women more, or help us capture the euphoria of mass events and use it to motivate women over a longer term. The work should help us understand more about the potential of mass events to motivate people towards more active and healthy lives. And that’s good for everyone.