New research shows that park runs not only increase physical activity and life satisfaction, particularly among the least active, but also offer cost-effective public health benefits, making them more impactful than traditional interventions. Unweighted demographics of the sample compared to the 2019 parkrun population: (a) gender; (b) age; (c) index of multiple deprivation quartile of home postcode; (d) activity at registration in days per week over the last four weeks; and (e) number of parkruns completed by 6 months. Study: The impact of parkrun on life satisfaction and its cost-effectiveness: A six-month study of parkrunners in the United Kingdom.
Image Credit: BJ Day Stock / Shutterstock.com In a recent study published in PLoS Global Public Health , researchers examined the effectiveness of park runs in reducing physical inactivity and explored the cost-effectiveness of this initiative. What is a park run? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a park run is a physical activity intervention that can potentially improve life satisfaction.
It refers to a community event that provides free and inclusive access to enjoyable physical activity experiences. The WHO specifically recommends park runs as part of its Global Action Plan on Physical Activity to increase physical activity at the population level. Park runs, which have been operating for more than two decades, are often weekly and timed run or walk events for five kilometers.
They can involve hundreds of tho.