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Sports facilities’ location and participation in sports among working adults
Research question: Most people spend a large part of their adult
life at work. This study investigated how access to sports
infrastructure near workplaces is related to the sports
participation of working adults, compared with access to sports
infrastructure near their homes.
Research methods: This study used data from a quantitative
household survey conducted in 2017. The sample comprised
4006 individuals (including 2147 working adults) aged ≥15 years,
representing the entire adult population of Russia. Logistic
regression models were performed to estimate the role of
infrastructure and individual characteristics in sports participation.
Results and findings: Only a quarter of Russian adults were
regularly involved in sports. The sports participation of Russian
adults was attributed to their individual characteristics (gender,
age, education, health, and family characteristics) and access to
sports infrastructure located near their homes and workplaces.
For working adults, access to sports infrastructure near their
workplaces was associated with a 12 percentage points increase
in the probability of sport participation compared with an 8
percentage points increase associated with access to sports
infrastructure near their homes.
Implications: There is a need to improve working adults’ access to
sport facilities. Developing sports infrastructure close to workplaces
may have an even stronger potential effect on sports participation
among working adults, than investing in infrastructures close to
their homes. It can result in additional benefits for workers,
employers, and sports providers.