NZ Sport and Physical Activity Launched

Media Release
1 March 2007

SPARC Launches New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Survey

SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand) today announced the official launch of the New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Survey. This is a nationwide survey designed to determine physical activity levels of New Zealander adults (aged 16 and over) and their participation in sport, recreation and physical activities.

The survey will provide information on how active New Zealanders are and in what sports, recreation and physical activities they participate. The survey will also cover time and intensity of physical activity.

“The New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Survey 2007/08 is a key component of SPARC’s efforts to track New Zealand’s progress towards being the most active nation,” said Grant McLean, Research Manager for SPARC. “Physical activity is difficult to measure, but we believe this survey will provide robust and comprehensive information to SPARC and its partners.”

The information collected from the New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Survey will be used by SPARC for a number of purposes, including:

- reporting back to Government on how active New Zealanders are and their participation in sport, recreation and physical activities;

- providing the sport and recreation sector with high quality sport, recreation and physical activity baseline information, particularly for SPARC’s key partners such as the 17 regional sports trusts, national sport and recreation organisations and central and local government agencies.

“National sport and recreation organisations and regional sports trusts are interested in comprehensive profiles of participation in sport and physical recreation activities,” said McLean. “Data collected will provide specific profiles for the 17 regional sport trusts, many of the national sports organisations and the larger metropolitan authorities.”

The survey, which was developed and validated with support from the Ministry of Health, provides important new information on physical activity by measuring the intensity of activity which is important for health. It will also provide a complete picture of the different contexts in which people are active, whether for sport and recreation, for active transport, in employment or around the home.

Cynthia Maling, programme manager of the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Eating Healthy Action (HEHA) team, said the Ministry was pleased to have been involved in the survey. “The data will help us to gauge progress in the physical activity levels of New Zealanders and how this impacts on their health,” said Maling. “It also complements the Ministry’s National Nutrition Survey (www.moh.govt.nz) that paints a picture of the nutritional patterns of New Zealanders.”

Dr Karen Moy from the University of California undertook initial research to test the physical activity questionnaire and believes “that the survey is the most comprehensive tool to date for monitoring trends in New Zealand physical activity participation.”

The survey is being undertaken through face-to-face nationwide interviews over a 12 month period to take account of seasonal patterns of activity. Initial survey findings will be released in mid-2008.

ENDS

www.sparc.org.nz

SPARC is the government agency charged with promoting, encouraging and supporting sport and physical recreation in New Zealand. For more information, visit www.sparc.org.nz.

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