The Qatar National Sport Day is widely being recognised as a major milestone in encouraging residents to adopt a healthy lifestyle, a new survey has found.

Agency 222, a communications company, carried out a survey  ahead of the Qatar National Sport Day and released the results exclusively to Gulf Times yesterday.

Nearly all participants (92%) of the survey agreed that the National Sport Day was an ideal way to promote sports and health benefits to the people of Qatar. 

Additionally, 55% of the people agreed that since the introduction of the National Sport Day last year, people had become more interested in sports and healthy living.

When it comes to the nation’s exercise habits beyond National Sport Day, the survey found that over one third of Qatar residents (37%) were involved in regular exercise (at least three times a week), with the majority of those who participated in regular physical exercise worked out for at least 30 minutes or more ( 77%).

The top four motivations for participating in physical activity were to be fit and healthy (56%); to feel good (13%); to lose weight (11%); and to tone and shape the body (9%).

However, 26% of the participants said they did not exercise regular. They mentioned  lack of time (48% of participants); limited access to public places and facilities to exercise (35%); hot weather and climate (33%); and a general lack of motivation and energy (25%) as the main barriers that prevented them from being more involved in regular exercise.

The research was conducted by the local agency that sampled 221 Qataris and expatriates in an on-line survey. It’s main objectives were to find out how residents planned to get involved in this year’s National Sport Day.  

Two thirds of the participants (65%) said they were planning to be involved in activities planned for the sports day.

The survey found that the National Sports Day had awakened “greater countrywide interest in staying fit and healthy, with widespread agreement that more could be done now to encourage the people to take part in regular exercise”.

Nearly all participants (92%) agreed with the statement that Qatar needed to have more awareness campaigns to promote health benefits of regular physical activity.

Additionally, 89% agreed Qatar needed more sporting facilities to encourage people to exercise regularly.

There is also widespread opinion that greater emphasis could  be placed on encouraging women to be more physically active, particularly when cultural and social norms are recognised as barriers preventing girls and women from participating in regular exercise.

At least 83% of participants agreed Qatar should do more to develop its female athletes and female sports role models.

According to the survey, the top five sporting activities were aerobics/cardio (39%), swimming (32%), walking/hiking (31%), football (30%) and athletics/running (27%).