Study shows parkrun increases life satisfaction of less active participants

A new study led by Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield, UK, finds that participation in Parkrun, a weekly 5km social run (or walk), significantly improves the life satisfaction of its participants the least active.

In the article entitled “The impact of parkrun on life satisfaction and profitability: a six-month study of parkrunners in the United Kingdom”, published in PLOS Global Public Healththose who were least physically active before joining Parkrun experienced the most significant gains in wellbeing, highlighting the event’s potential as a cost-effective public health intervention.

Parkrun and physical activity initiatives like it have been endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat physical inactivity, which it considers to be one of the main risk factors for mortality from non-communicable diseases. According to the WHO, “people who are insufficiently active have a 20 to 30% higher risk of death than people who are sufficiently active.”

Parkrun reports that around 200,000 people take part in the event each week in the UK alone and runs similar events in 22 other countries. Besides its success, it can also provide researchers with a model to better understand the effectiveness of activity on life satisfaction.

The study followed 548 newly registered runners over a six-month period. Participants’ life satisfaction was measured at the beginning of the study and again at the end using a visual analog scale. Participants were asked: “Overall, how satisfied are you with your life today?” “” and responded using a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 represented “not at all satisfied” and 10 represented “completely satisfied.”

Participants’ responses were grouped based on self-reported activity levels prior to joining Parkrun. Results indicated a significant increase in life satisfaction for the least active group of participants, with average scores rising to 7.389, a change of 0.768 points. This improvement was the highest among all activity level groups studied.

Including all activity groups, the improvement was smaller, 0.257, but still significant.

The researchers suggest that while running represents a new physical activity for the less active, it would likely replace other activities for the more active groups. Smaller contribution to improvement from more active participants may highlight the social engagement aspects of the event as a mental health benefit.

For a comparable scale benchmark, life satisfaction surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased by around 0.39 compared to the UK average, indicating that the positive change after the Participation in Parkrun is generally relatively significant and very impactful for the least active.

To quantify the economic impact of changes in well-being, the researchers used the Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years (WELLBY) approach, equating to a one-point change in life satisfaction per person per year to approximately £13,000. Benefit-cost ratios for the least active participants were found to be particularly high, with returns of up to 98.5 to 1 when considering the perceived impact of Parkrun. These figures suggest that for every euro spent on organizing Parkrun, the benefits expressed in terms of wellbeing benefits amount to €98.5 for this group.

The team estimated the overall potential economic benefits of UK Parkrun 2019 (with around 400,000 participants) at £266.3 million for six months of participation. Not a bad return, considering it only cost £4.5 million to put on the event.

The researchers conclude that Parkrun’s design elements, namely a regular schedule, freedom of membership and the creation of a community-wide event, allow it to attract less active individuals and maintain their involvement . These characteristics make it an effective model for planning future public health interventions targeting inactivity and promoting well-being.

Parkrun began in 2004 as a weekly social run in London’s Bushy Park. The first event was attended by only 13 people and grew through advertisements in local newspapers inviting people to join a 5 kilometer run in the park. Participants who completed the race received a prestigious finish token for their accomplishment, a washer purchased from a local hardware store.

© 2024 Science X Network