Physical Activity of Adults: A Survey of Correlates, Determinants, and Effects

Abstract

Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW. Date this version has been printed: 04 November 2014Abstract: We survey the literature on the link of labour market related outcomes to individual physical activity and sports participation. The first part of the survey is devoted to the individual participation decision and is based on papers from various disciplines. The second part summarises parts of the epidemiological literature on health effects and the economic literature on the labour market effects as well as on the effects on well-being and social capital. Somewhat surprisingly, at least for studies in empirical economics, all the papers seem to agree that individual leisure sports participation and physical activity has positive effects for adults.

Sports, exercise, and labor market outcomes

“…Because of space limitations, the focus is on the effects of sports and exercise on the prime-age labor force (after education and before retirement). More detailed results are available in [2] and [3].…”

“…Before discussing the labor market and other effects of sports and exercise, it is informative to consider why people participate in these activities and who is more, or less, likely to participate [3]. From an economic point of view, there are several potential motives for increased physical activity.…”

“…• The consumption motive is most commonly analyzed using Cawley's Sleep-LeisureOccupation-Transport-Home-production (SLOTH) model [5] (for examples, see [3]). This static model explicitly considers the trade-offs involved in allocating time to different activities, one of them being sports and exercise.…”

“…• The investment motive is captured by models built along the lines of Grossman's investment-in-health-capital model [6] (for examples, see [3]). …”

“…In addition, many studies emphasize the importance of habit formation as a key determinantsimply becoming accustomed to engaging regularly in sports and exercise and integrating these activities into one's weekly routine [3].…”