In Anglo-Saxon countries, there tends to be a universal culture of sports spectatorship, while actual sports participation remains low
participation is comparatively high, but spectatorship is less of a focus. This is partly polarised by income, with only more affluent people able to regularly go to watch sports. Spectatorship is also much more of a focus for the younger generation, who have grown up with the rapid commercialisation of international sports in China since the 1990s.
4
Different working habits and lifestyles dictate activity levels across countries
Working habits strongly impact our levels of activity. Physical fitness used to be vital for society based around manual labour, but has fallen out of favour in the shift to more sedentary forms of manufacture and the growing ‘knowledge economy’. In South-East Asia, less than 25 per cent of adults sit for at least four hours a day, compared to 64 per cent in Europe. Urbanisation is also becoming an
increasing threat to our activity levels. In Europe alone, more than two-thirds of the population live in towns and cities, and the convenience of urban living means we no longer have to walk as far to get to places. There are also fewer green spaces in which to exercise. In China, urbanisation alone is said to
have reduced daily energy expenditure by 300–400 kcal, while cycling versus driving to work determines another variation of 200 kcal. Nevertheless, the Chinese see weight loss as essential for personal success, as negative attitudes towards obese people at work persist. As a result of rising obesity, weight loss camps have therefore sprung up in many cities. Some countries help promote and encourage exercise through
october 2012 © cybertrek 2012
infrastructure, such as Holland with its designated cycle lanes. However, in many markets there remains a lack of facilities and provisions to be able to exercise. Healthy cities must be designed that both encourage those living there to shun public transport and be more active, and that are in their very design more conducive to physical activity – legal requirements could even be introduced to ensure health needs are integrated into town planning. Bogota in Colombia offers an interesting case of a city where the built environment has been actively transformed in an attempt to reduce car dependency and promote more physical activity among its residents. As cities continue to grow, there will also need to be more creative use of urban spaces – football under railway arches, exercises on rooftops and so on – to provide opportunities for those living in cities to be active. Locations may also need to be used with dual purpose – eg office by day, gym by night.
5
Climate can hugely influence levels of activity The attractiveness of the external
environment can hugely affect the desire to exercise outdoors – an important exercise environment, appreciating that not everyone will be drawn to a gym. In some countries, the climate is well suited to physical activity – in Australia, for example, activity levels are relatively high due to the cultural values of being active and ‘outdoorsy’. But in countries where air pollution is high, exercise can be unattractive and even viewed as a health risk, contributing to breathing problems and fatigue. And in Asian
countries where light skin tones are often the beauty ideal, some women purposely avoid exercising outdoors in the sun. We are seeing attempts to overcome the challenge of climate, with some urban gyms working to bring the outside indoors: increasing natural light and connecting the gym to outdoor spaces through architectural features that maximise natural views, for example.
Final word There are many contextual and cultural challenges to becoming a more active world. However, with the awareness of the social and economic costs of inactivity rapidly rising, and an acknowledgement that we need to address the issue, new opportunities for innovative solutions in this space are emerging. Successful solutions will focus on meeting the current and evolving needs of different generations, inspiring young and old to translate their engagement as spectators into participation, as well as finding innovative ways to overcome the physical barriers to activity posed by urban environments and climate issues.
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