Structural and cultural factors influencing physical activity in Switzerland

Structural and cultural factors influencing physical activity in Switzerland

        An empirical analysis of the Swiss Health Surveys of 1992 and 2002 showed that the shape of the curve showing age-specific decline in physical activity varies significantly between different social groups. For Switzerland, the most important effects were found to relate to gender, language region, household size (family situation), financial situation and nationality, whereas educational level and urban vs. rural place of residence appeared to play a minor role. With respect to the general decline in physical activity over the life-course, Breuer (2003) distinguishes between three kinds of effects linked to the age of individuals and populations, namely: Age effects in the strict sense, e.g. changes in health status and physical capabilities over the life-course. Cohort effects, i.e. specific historical conditions which affect selected age groups. Period effects referring to general historical changes affecting various age groups and cohorts. 

       The age-specific distribution of activity levels was examined controlling for a number of struc￾tural and cultural variables. Seven different age groups ranging from 15–24 years in 10-year steps to 75 years and older were used. It should be noted that for the older groups some distortions may have been present as the Health Survey only covers persons (still) living at home and able to respond to telephone and written surveys. As a result, estimates for the older groups may have been bi￾ased towards a higher level of activity than is really present. the par￾ticipation rate peaked in one of the intermediate cate￾gories instead of the highest category, whereas the gen￾erally positive relationship between being male and physical activity changed direction for the age group 45–54 years: in this group the share of regularly active or trained women was slightly higher than among men. The same also applied to household size that influenced physical activity positively in the youngest and the older groups but negatively in the middle age groups. This is a clear indication that family obligations have a negative effect on physical activity.

         However, the overall stagnation of activity figures may also be an indication that physical activity has reached some saturation level in Switzerland. In fact, earlier studies on participation in sport in Switzerland suggest that the boom in sport of the 1960s and 1970s started tocool down during the 1980s (Marti 1993; Lamprecht and Stamm 2002). In this connection it is also important to note that physical and sporting activities have substantial opportunity costs in the sense that they must be carried out at the cost of other activities. Even though sporting activity is among the most popular leisure pursuit in Switzerland, it appears that a substantial proportion of the population value other activities even more highly.