Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said that their life satisfaction had improved through running and walking at Parkrun
Research with nearly 80,000 UK parkrunners has revealed how the mental health benefits of the free weekly 5K event are driving an increase in life satisfaction for people who take part in it.
The findings, based on the biggest ever study of UK parkrun participants led by Sheffield Hallam University, were released on World Mental Health Day to mark Parkrun’s 21st anniversary. Nearly three-quarters (74%) said that their life satisfaction had improved through running and walking at parkrun whilst 73% said it had improved through volunteering.
The survey asked participants to rank impacts that had contributed to their improved life satisfaction with improvements to happiness, general mental wellbeing and feelings of personal achievement ranking the highest alongside the opportunity to have fun.
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The research also revealed that the biggest increases in life satisfaction were likely to be felt by those who rated their health as “very bad” when registering for parkrun with an estimated 1.6 point increase in life satisfaction based on the Office of National Statistics, one to ten scale of life satisfaction measure. Those least active, in early middle age, and participants from deprived communities were also more likely to benefit the most from taking part in Parkrun.
It follows a similar study undertaken last year by the university, which, based on the UK Treasury’s approach to the valuation of wellbeing, showed how Parkrun was worth nearly £700 million to the UK economy and that every £1 spent on parkrun returned at least £16.70 in benefits including £10 on healthcare benefits.
Professor Steve Haake, from Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, who led the research, said: “Our previous research showed that life satisfaction increased for those who took part in Parkrun – what we didn’t know was how Parkrun ‘worked’.
“This new study has given us an answer to this question and it is improvements to mental health, including happiness and a sense of personal achievement, that are more important to this increase in life satisfaction than improvements to physical health.
“These findings confirm what we found in last year’s study – that Parkrun is one of the most cost effective and public health initiatives out there and is a model that can be used to evaluate the impact of public health initiatives across the globe, which is vital at time when resources are limited.”
Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, Parkrun Health Partnerships Lead and TV doctor, added: “We’ve known about the health benefits of Parkrun for years especially when it comes to the impact it can have on people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, a study of this scale helps further highlight the associated improvements in life satisfaction, the mental health and wellbeing benefits of taking part in Parkrun regularly and its contribution to wellbeing.
“Taking part includes running, walking, volunteering and spectating. I want to see more investment into the Parkrun charity to help unlock these health benefits for even more people in our communities.”
Over 260,000 people across the UK take part in over 1,200 free Parkrun events every weekend. The charity is focused on supporting those least active with over 45,000 of people who registered for parkrun last year identifying as ‘completely inactive’. Find your local event or register here.
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