Abstract
With a significant proportion of the population in high-income countries failing to meet physical activity guidelines of around 150 minutes of physical activity each week, 1 identifying settings and opportunities that may facilitate regular participation has become a global public health goal. Our article 2 examined parkrun as one such opportunity and, along with previous work from the United Kingdom, 3 suggested that parkrun may offer a mechanism for supporting and maintaining regular physical activity.
Our article’s intention, as stated in the aims, was to describe characteristics of parkrun participants’ pre-parkrun exercise status and identify factors associated with higher levels of participation. We found that more than half of our participants were not regular walkers/runners at registration, and many of these participants reported poorer health and higher levels of obesity, suggesting parkrun attracts a diverse audience. Physical activity is socially patterned, with those of higher socioeconomic status (ie, higher incomes, higher education levels) reporting greater participation than those of lower socioeconomic status. Our study identified lower education levels as a key correlate of higher parkrun participation, again suggesting parkrun attracts a broad range of participants and may be appealing to those, such as those of lower socioeconomic status and poorer health, who are often harder to engage in physical activity.
We strongly encourage research that explores the public health potential of parkrun, as well as any other settings and opportunities for increasing regular participation in physical activity.
