The document examines the influence of the 2012 London Olympic Games on physical activity levels in Australian Queensland adults. It finds that while 79% of respondents watched the London Games, the majority (81.6%) reported no impact on their intention to exercise more. Only 2.6% reported exercising more as a result of the Games. The document concludes that the Games had little positive impact on physical activity intentions or levels for most viewers in Queensland.

1. +
Examining the influence of the London 2012 Olympic
Games on physical activity in Australian Queensland
adults
Danya Hodgetts
CQUniversity

2. +
Alternative title: The rise of the couch potatoes?

3. +
Bid book
Olympic sport inspires people to get
involved in sports at a grassroots level –
driving increased participation in
community sport.
 Lundy (2012)
We want to maintain funding for the
elites, because they, in turn, provide the
inspiration for others.
 Brown (1983)

4. +
Trickle down

5. +
Trickle down
It is not believed
that elite sport
creates mass
sport per se.
Hanstad & Skile 2010 No clear evidence
to support the
existence of a
trickle-down effect
De Bosschera, Sotiriadou &
van Bottenburg 2013
No causal
relationship
Stewart and Nicholson
2004

6. +High performance success is not only good for our athletes and our
sense of national pride, it also contributes to other important
Government objectives in areas such as participation, economic
development, health and education.
While Australia's Winning Edge is focused on high performance sport,
the connection this has to grassroots participation is well
established. Participation will continue to be a key focus area for
Australian, state and territory governments.
Listed as a bonus in the light of flimsy evidence for the relationship
(Stewart, 2005, p. 187)

7. +
Opening Ceremony
 2012 Queensland Social Survey (round 2)
 Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), conducted
by Population Research Laboratory, CQUniversity
 Random selection of residential landline phone numbers
 Survey conducted from 22/10/2012 – 23/11/2012
 10:30am – 2:30pm, 4:30pm – 8:30pm Monday to Friday
 12:00pm – 4:00pm Saturday to Sunday

8. +
Parade of Nations
 1,256 participants aged 18 and over
 40.27% response rate
 233 variables
 Socio-demographic characteristics
 Active Australia physical activity (PA) measurements
 Other omnibus sections
 32 minute completion time

9. +
Participants
Age group QSS 2012 Census Qld |a-b|
18-24 4.9% 12.5% 7.6
25-34 6.2% 17.9% 11.7
35-44 15.0% 18.9% 3.9
45-54 21.3% 18.0% 3.3
55-64 22.9% 15.3% 7.6
65+ 29.7% 17.4% 12.3
Total 100% 100% 46.4 (Index of
dissimilarity)

10. +
QDH1. Did you see or hear any
coverage of 2012 Olympic
Games?
Did you consume more, less or the
same about of media?
Did the Olympics FEEL like you
want to exercise more, less or the
same amount?
1, no; 5, neutral; 10, yes
Why did it make you feel like doing
more exercise?
Why did it make you feel like doing
less exercise?
Did the Olympics ACTUALLY
affected your participation?
1, much more – 5, much less
QDH1
QDH2
QDH3
QDH3c
QDH3b
QDH4
Why did the Olympics affect you
this way?
QDH4b
<6 >7

11. +
Did you watch the London 2012
Olympic Games?
Response Frequency Percent
Yes 988 78.7
No 264 21.0
No response 4 0.3
Total 1256 100

12. +
Did London2012 make you FEEL
like you wanted to exercise?
Response Frequency Percent
1 (not at all) 695 70.3
1 - 5 (neutral) 112 11.3
6 – 10 (great extent) 170 16.9
Unsure/no response 11 1.1
Total 988 100

13. +
Did London2012 make you
ACTUALLY do more exercise?
Response Frequency Percent
More active 25 2.6
The same 842 88.5
Less active 84 8.8
Unsure/no response/missing 305
Total 1256 100

14. +
Super Saturday
 DV: Intend to do less/same exercise (0), intend to do more (1)

15. +
No impact on intent to undertake
sport or PA

16. +
Positive impact on intent to
undertake sport or PA

17. +
Medal tally
 79% (n=988) watched London 2012
 81.6% (n= 807) neutral to no impact at all on intention to exercise
 2.6% (n= 25) exercised more as a result of London 2012
 1.4% (n=17) insufficiently active people exercised more
 Demonstration
 Inspired by condition of the
athletes
 Type of sports interesting
 Watching sport put me in the
mood to do sport
 Discouragement
 I’m already active enough
 Can’t increase physical activity
level due to age/ health
 Not interested in increasing my
physical activity level

18. +
Passing the
baton
I want to do
soccer, running
and gymnastics
at the kid’s
Inlypics (sic)
 Layne Hodgetts, aged 4,
(2012)

19. +
Closing Ceremony
 Captive audience, but cluttered market place
 No effect on intention to exercise on majority of viewers
 Overall message is reaching an insufficient target audience
 Number of barriers to address