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Introduction
Hypothesis
It is known that dominant professional concerns vary
according to the age category. We expect to obtain relevant
information about the ratio between the dynamics of the
spare time percentage and the preferences for practicing
physical activities as recreational sport, by identifying
those preferences.
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Results
The motivation and the debate regarding this theme
continue to represent one of the main concerns of modern
life; in daily life, we are consistently shown the importance
of motivational arguments and we are indicated the most
suitable ways to sustain them, in order to achieve the
expected results (Roberts and Treasure, 2001). In the past
years, in urban areas, especially in big cities, organized
recreational sport and public sport administration have
been confronted with a re-definition of the objectives and a
re-evaluation of the tasks. The increasing sports needs, the
partially stale gymnasiums, the financial restrictions for the
local administrations in the field of promoting recreational
sport, the continuous compression of the city space as well
as the competition resulting from the land request for other
purposes, considered to be a priority over sports practice,
are just a few of the basic conditions which have decisively
influenced the possibilities of practicing sports in the city
area. There are still some gymnasiums exposed to closure
due to the lack of financing; we are still witnessing a
reduction of public spaces, especially for children and
teenagers, an intensification of the commercial character of
sports offers and a more obvious separation of sport practice
from other existential fields, such as work and living, etc.
(***, 2005a). Researches performed in Germany regarding
diet behavior were aimed at investigating the relationship
between the level of physical exercise and the risk of
obesity. An extensive research was carried out between
September 2002-June 2003; during the research, 1,050
subjects aged between 13 and 80 years were interviewed,
by a randomized procedure. The subjects characteristics,
such as lifestyle, socio-economic status and health, were
analyzed through a face-to-face computerized interview.
The sports category included several types of walking; the
category exerting activities practiced in spare time mainly
consisted of physical activities of moderate and high
intensity, such as gardening, household activities and child
care activities (Schaller et al, 2005). In spite of the presence
of the attribute exerting in the category designation,
referring to high intensity activities, the research also
evaluated activities with a moderate intensity.
Moderate physical activities such as gardening or
household activities are preferred by 24% of the subjects;
27% practice this type of activities with a frequency of 1-3
days a week, 20% with a frequency of 4-6 days a week,
while 26% do not prefer these at all (Fig. 1). According
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Fig. 5 The proportion of those admitting to practicing recreational sports in their spare time, according to age categories
(Punescu et al., 2010).
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Discussion
At European level, it was found that among all
members of the European Union, only 19 states had at
least one project for promoting health by means of physical
activities; in 5 countries health was promoted by means
of sports and for this purpose 7 projects were developed.
These projects referred to population target groups: adults,
children, elderly, persons with low-level education, disabled
persons, etc. In the professional literature available for our
research, we noticed that in the less active population,
along with the increase in the inactivity time, the time
spent for practical activities decreased accordingly. It is
very possible that those who are aware of the systematic
practice of recreational sports, with the main benefit of
protection and compensation and with multiple beneficial
effects on physical, mental and spiritual health, get to assign
more time to physical activities. At state or national level,
this fact shows that in countries where inactivity is blamed,
a higher number of hours are assigned to the practice of
physical activities (Punescu, 2010a). The subsequent
processing of the extended data revealed a correlation,
with a significant positive coefficient, between the amount
of spare time that the subjects have at their disposal and the
practice of recreational sports activities.
A prognosis of the WHO shows that by 2012, over 65%
of the adult population in Europe will practice physical
activities according to the recommended standards, in
order to increase the quality of life.
In all member states of the European Union, the number
of persons who practice one type or another of physical
exercise in their spare time - such as walking, dancing
or gardening - is significantly higher than the number of
individuals who practice sport on an organized basis. A
concerning aspect regarding public health reveals that
14% of the EU citizens admit to not practicing any kind of
physical activity, while other 20% are seldom physically
active.
Table I
The proportion of the preferences for recreational sports
in Romania.
Options
Ball games between friends
Fitness at home or at the gym
Walks and hikes
Gymnastics-looking
Cycling
Tennis or small ball games
Swimming
Easy climbs and walks in the mountains
Jogging
Different roller blades
Combat sports
Beach and water sports
Romanian traditional sports
Senior athletic sports
Other
TOTAL
Answers
Percent
15.01%
14.16%
10.76%
3.97%
6.80%
7.37%
9.92%
6.52%
6.80%
5.38%
3.97%
3.12%
1.13%
1.13%
3.97%
100%
Conclusion
1. Spending spare time in the European Union by
practicing physical activities and sports is an effect of
the concept about the quality of life, a concept gained
through education and culture. It also reveals the existence
of a correlation between the socio-economic status and the
implication in physical activities.
2. In countries such as Germany, England, Austria,
figures show that the most active individuals are those
aged between 15 and 29 years, followed by the population
of the age categories 30-44 years and the elderly, who are
the least active.
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Websites
(1) http://www.sportpentruviata.ro, visited on 18.09.2009
(2) http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/
active_people_survey_1.aspx, visited on 15 August 2010
(3) http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/
active_people_survey_2.aspx, visited on 15 June 2010
(4) http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/
active_people_survey_3.aspx, visited on 30 June2010
(5) http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/
active_people_survey_5/aps5_quarter_two.asp, visited on 17
July 2011
References
Collins R, Peto R, Armitage J. The MRC/BHF Heart Protection
Study: preliminary results. Int J Clin Pract 2002;56:53-56
Gagea A, Marinescu G, Cordun M, Szabo G, Gagea G, Punescu
M. Recreational sport culture in Romania and some European
countries. Research and Social Intervention (Review of
Research and Social Intervention), 2010; 31:54-64.
Gagea A. Scientific Research Treatise upon Physical Education
and Sport, Publishing house Discobolul, Bucharest, 2010, 130
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