An exploration of demand for physical activity

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of demand for physical activity. Given the government‟s target to increase the proportion of the population who are physically active, we need to know the determinants of demand for physical activity in order to identify target areas for policy. The relevant components of the demand function for physical activity, which were identified from reviews of theoretical and empirical literature on physical activity behaviour, established the need to account for costs (i.e. time and money costs) and perceived benefits among other factors in explaining physical activity behaviour. To date, there is a paucity of studies looking at this issue particularly from an economic perspective, mainly due to the lack of such data. This thesis therefore focussed on fitting varied econometric models (sample selection, count, linear, and probit) to understand how costs and perceived benefits explain indicators of physical activity behaviour (total time spent, number of days, and meeting the recommended level of participation or not); controlling for socio-economic, demographic and psychological variables. Data was sourced from the Health Survey for England (2006), Health Education Authority National Survey of Activity and Health (1991), and face-face interviews conducted in 2008 using a purposive sample. The findings suggest that time and money prices (costs per occasion of participation) of physical activity are inversely correlated with physical activity, and this is mitigated where the perceived benefits of physical activity, both health and non-health, are high. Indicators of demand were price inelastic except for meeting the recommended level of participation, which was highly responsive to changes in time price. Based on the findings, various policies including the use of economic instruments such as subsidies, particularly at the point of consumption, and mass media campaigns to increase awareness about the benefits of physical activity are discussed.