www.

sparc

.org.nz

Sport and Recreation Prole:

Aerobics

Findings from the 2007/08Active New Zealand Survey

INTRODUCTION

Content

This sport and recreation profle presents inormation about participation in aerobics among New Zealand adultsaged 16 years and over. It is compiled rom inormation collected through the 2007/08 Active NZ Survey andincludes:

•participationlevels;•proleofparticipants;•participationpatterns;and•volunteeringlevels.

Methodology

Sample

A total o 4,443 adults aged 16 years and over participated in the 2007/08 Active NZ Survey. Among theparticipants, 365 (65 men, 300 women) reported participating in aerobics at least once during the 12 monthspreceding the interview. The 4,443 interviews (which were completed over a 12-month period beginning inMarch 2007) were stratifed by month and by the 17 regional sports trust catchment areas.

The Survey

The Active NZ Survey (an interviewer-administered, ace-to-ace sel-report survey) consisted o two datacollection tools:

1.asportandrecreationsurvey;and

2. a seven-day physical activity recall diary.The sport and recreation survey was used to collect inormation about participation levels in various sport andrecreation activities. Participants reported the sport and recreation activities they participated in over threedierent timerames: during the 12 months, our weeks and seven days preceding the interview. Participantsreported a range o other sport and recreation inormation including where they participated in activities, theirparticipation in volunteering, instruction to improve perormance and involvement in clubs and centres.The seven-day physical activity recall diary assessed the requency, intensity and duration o sport and recreationactivities participated in during the seven days preceding the interview. The ollowing inormation was collectedor each day o the previous week:

1.thespecicactivitiesparticipatedin(e.g.aerobics);2.thedayonwhichtheactivitywasundertaken(e.g.didaerobicsonMondayandThursday);

3. the total time spent participating in each specifc sport and recreation activity (e.g. 60 minutes o aerobics

onMonday);

4. the amount o time spent at a moderate intensity (e.g. o the 60 minutes o aerobics on Monday, 20

minuteswasspentatamoderateintensity);and

5. the amount o time spent at a vigorous intensity (e.g. o the 60 minutes o aerobics on Monday, 25minutes was spent at a vigorous intensity).The inormation rom the diary was used to determine the time spent and the intensity at which adultsparticipated in aerobics during any one week.

SPORT AND RECREATION PROFILE:

AEROBICS

Ethnic Groupings

In the 2007/08 Active NZ Survey, participants were able to identiy with multiple ethnicities. Consequently, thesame person could be represented in dierent ethnic groups (e.g. Mäori and NZ European). Thereore, when thepercentages or each ethnic group are summed they do not equal 100 percent. Ethnic-specifc fndings shouldonly be compared with estimates or the total New Zealand population as comparisons between ethnic groups(e.g. Mäori versus Pacifc) are not valid.

Socioeconomic Position

The NZiDep tool was used to measure the socioeconomic position o participants. The tool consists o eightquestions which assess dierent domains o socioeconomic status. Based on the number o deprivationindicators reported, participants were grouped into one o fve groups ranging rom the least (Quintile 1) tothe most (Quintile 5) disadvantaged socioeconomic group. The fve groups were:

Quintile 1

–nodeprivationcharacteristics;

Quintile 2

–onedeprivationcharacteristicwasreported;

Quintile 3

–twodeprivationcharacteristicswerereported;

Quintile 4

–threeorfourdeprivationcharacteristicswerereported;and

Quintile 5

– fve or more deprivation characteristics were reported.Further inormation about the Active NZ Survey methodology is available atwww.sparc.org.nz/activenzsurvey.

Information Reported

All fndings relate to the New Zealand adult population aged 16 years and over. They are based on responsesrom at least 100 participants and have a relative standard error o less than 25 percent unless stated otherwise.All estimates have been weighted to correct or dierences between the sample population and the generalNew Zealand population. Percent estimates (e.g. 50%) with a 95 percent confdence interval (e.g. 95% CI: 45-55)have also been age-standardised to the 2006 New Zealand adult population. Estimates without a 95 percentconfdence interval represent proportions within the sport-specifc population (i.e. adults who participated in theactivity), and have not been age-standardised.Confdence intervals have been used to indicate i signifcant dierences exist between dierent groups (e.g.men versus women) in the population. Findings are generally considered signifcantly dierent i there is nooverlap between the confdence intervals o the percentage estimates being compared.The Active NZ Survey is a nationally representative survey o all New Zealand adults. The fndings in this profleare not directly comparable with other sources o inormation about aerobics. This is because methodologicaldierences (e.g. the way data is collected, the defnitions used) contribute to dierences in fndings betweendierent data sources.