Senior participation
Participation in sport and physical activity is important for the health and wellbeing of seniors. Benefits for seniors include improved physical and mental health, reduced risk of disease, social interaction, increased self-esteem, lifelong independence and overall wellbeing.
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Research has shown that up to half of the physical decline commonly associated with ageing may be due to a lack of physical activity.
Australia’s population is ageing. This has a range of implications for sport and recreation such as planning, developing and expanding the opportunities available for senior participation in sport and physical activity.
Note that the two main data sources in this fact sheet, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Participation in Sports and Physical Recreation and the Western Australian Adult Physical Activity Survey, measure physical activity participation differently. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines participants as people aged 15 years and over who participated at least once in the 12 months to survey. In comparison, the Western Australian Adult Physical Activity Survey of people aged 18 years and over measures sufficient levels of physical activity, defined as at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week, which is frequently interpreted as 150 minutes of
moderate activity over at least five sessions.
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Active recreation
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Active women
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Benefits of physical activity
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Coaching and officiating
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Costs of physical inactivity
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Cycling for physical activity
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High performance
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Incidental Physical Activity
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Indigenous participation
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Junior participation
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Less active population groups
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Motivators and barriers in physical activity
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Non-organised sport and physical activity
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Organised sport and physical activity
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Participation of australians aged 15 and over
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Social trends
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Social trends summary
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Swimming
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Volunteers
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Walking for physical activity
