Over three-quarters of a million Irish adults are too busy watching television or spending time in the pub to take any physical exercise.
According to a survey published today, 800,000 Irish people do no physical exercise and only
40 per cent meet minimum levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Walking was the most popular form of leisure-time physical activity, with 60 per cent of adults taking regular strolls, while golf, soccer, swimming and GAA games for men, and swimming and aerobics for women were also favoured.
The study of sport, physical activity and attitudes to healthy lifestyles was jointly produced by the Irish Sports Council and Economic and Social Research Institute following interviews with 3,000 people.
It found that the most common reasons people give for not exercising or playing sport was a lack of
interest or time. A lack of access to sports facilities was noted by only a small number of respondents.
The availability of good quality sports facilities assists the raising of standards but is unlikely to significantly raise public participation, the report found.
Mr John Treacy, chief executive of the Irish Sports Council, said the report was an essential contribution to the policy debate in Irish sport.
He noted that the study recommended that policy on the use of sport to promote physical
activity should devote greater attention to middle-aged and older people, among whom levels of inactivity are particularly high.
"Our programmes are targeted at the sports community," he said. "The message from the report is that we will have to look outside that community if we are to make a serious impact on participation levels, such as the Sport for Older People and Women in Sport initiatives which have been funded
by the Government in recent times."
Participation in sport also declines as people age, with many dropping out or switch from the high-intensity team games to non-contact, non-team sports such as golf, swimming or aerobics, the report found.
Mental health as well as physical health would be improved and protected if people incorporated regular exercise into their routines, he said.