Surprise? Oldies Embrace Sport
MELBOURNE: Australia, don’t write your oldies off – activity-wise, they may be doing much better than you think, a new Roy Morgan report suggests.
The report found almost 80 percent of Australians aged 70-plus – or about 1.87 million – participate regularly in sports and similar activities.
The figure comes at a time when, due to Covid-19 lockdowns, some forms of exercise – like gym sessions – have been unavailable, but in fact few Aussie 80-year-olds regularly use gyms.
But the news isn’t all good for the oldies: Morgan CEO Michele Levine notes: “Australia has dealt exceptionally well with Covid-19 over the last few months, but those aged 70-plus remain at greater risk of dying than their younger counterparts if they contract the disease. Over 80 percent of Australians to die from Covid-19 have been aged 70 years or older.
“Actively maintaining good health can reduce the risk factors of succumbing to a disease such as Covid-19, so it’s great to see that such a high proportion of older Australians making sports and activities a priority.
After walking and swimming, the next most popular choices among this age group are going to the gym/weight training, then hiking/bushwalking and golf. “