Learn more about the measures of leisure time physical activity across selected CLOSER studies
See the ‘Leisure time physical activity’ section for background detail on this domain of physical activity.
Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is the most frequently measured domain, with data collected from ages 4-74y across ALSPAC, MCS, BCS70, NCDS, and NSHD (see Tables 2-5 for details on these variables). For exercise-related questions, participants were often asked to indicate from a show card what activities they typically engaged in, and the duration and frequency of these. Additional LTPA questions captured participation in sports classes, involvement in sports clubs and teams, and use of recreational areas such as parks and playgrounds.
Click to see the cross-study data availability and comparability for each LTPA subdomain:
- Leisure time physical activity participation
- Use of parks and/or recreation facilities
- Participation in sports classes
- Participation in sports clubs/teams
Leisure time physical activity participation
ALSPAC 13y and BCS70 16y ask similar questions about sports engagement over the past weekend (ALSPAC: “Which activities did you do last weekend?”; BCS70: “Did you take any exercise last Saturday?”) with responses comparable on the activities engaged in (i.e. swimming, cycling, walking). These may therefore be comparable in terms of absolute physical activity levels. Since the MCS 14y question was on a different scale, it is only likely comparable in terms of relative ranking of activity levels (MCS: “On how many days in the last week did you do a total of at least an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity?”)
BCS70 30y, NSHD 31y, and NCDS 33y ask similar questions on general physical activity engagement (BCS70/NCDS: “Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?”, “How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities?”, “When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty?”; NSHD: “Please ring the codes below indicating any sports or keep fit activities you take part in and showing how often you do these things (during the season).”) with responses of frequency (monthly/weekly) and specific activities engaged in comparable across measures.
NCDS 42y and NSHD 43y each ask similar questions on general LTPA engagement (NCDS: “Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?” How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities? When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty?”; NSHD: “Do you regularly take part in any sports or vigorous leisure activities or do any exercises? (If yes please list) “How often do you do this? On average how long do you spend doing this?”) with responses of frequency (monthly/weekly) and intensity of specific activity engaged in comparable across measures. In contrast, BCS70 42y also asks a general question on LTPA engagement but uses a different question and response scale (BCS70: “On how many days in a typical week do you do 30 minutes or more of exercise”; responses: none, less often, 2-3x month, 1x week, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily).
BCS70 42y and NCDS 44y ask similar questions on specific activities in the past year (BCS70: “How often have you done each of the following sporting activities in the last 12 months?”; NCDS: “How often on average, did you do this last year?” “Average time per episode?”) with responses of frequency (monthly/weekly/daily) and specific activities engaged in comparable across measures.
NSHD 53y and NCDS 55y ask similar questions comparing the frequency (occurrences/week) of physical activity (NSHD: “In the last 4 weeks, have you taken part in any sports or vigorous leisure activities or done any exercises in your spare time, not including getting to and from work, for 30 minutes or more?”; NCDS: “Whether you take part in the following activities and frequently 1) Play sport or go walking or swimming; 2) Attend leisure activity groups such as evening classes, keep fit, yoga etc.”)
The NSHD, NCDS, BCS70, and MCS all carried out the same COVID-19 survey so the measures are identical across the studies. The same two questions on leisure activity were asked in the COVID-19 Wave 1 and 2 surveys (“In the month before the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?” and “How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical week day in the last two weeks?”). These questions capture the frequency, duration, and intensity so it may be possible to compare to earlier waves with some recoding of scales.
| Age | Study | Variable name(s) | Question wording | Response scale(s) | Included activities | Timespan of recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | ALSPAC | ccp430 ccp450 - ccp443 ccp463 | "Which activities did you do last weekend?" | Yes/no | Swimming, walk, cycled, played in football (or other) match | Past weekend |
| 14 | MCS | FCPHEX00 | "On how many days in the last week did you do a total of at least an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity?" | Never, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, everyday | * | Past week |
| 16 | BCS70 | F20A1 - f20b43 | "In past year, participation in a range of individual activities, in school or out of school..." | None, 1x monthly, 1x weekly | Baseball, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby, volleyball, individual activities (aerobics, tennis etc.), other | Past 12 months |
| 16 | BCS70 | jc22 - jc22a9 | "Did you take any exercise last Saturday?" | Yes/no | Walking >1 mile, running, jogging >1 mile, cycling >1mile, swimming >4 lengths, dancing, indoor sports, outdoor sports, exercise/keep fit, other | Last Saturday |
| 17 | MCS | GCPHEX00 | "On how many days in the last week did you do a total of at least an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity?" | Not at all, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, everyday | * | Past week |
| 19 | MCS | CW1_Timeuse1_8_1 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday since the Coronavirus outbreak began?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Typical weekday since pandemic started |
| 19 | MCS | CW2_Timeuse_8 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday in the last two weeks?" | Hours, minutes | Physical activity/ exercise | Past 2 weeks |
| 19 | MCS | CW1_EXCISEPP CW2_EXCISEPP | "In the month before the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days | * | Typical weekday during the time specified |
| 19 | MCS | CW1_EXCISESP | "Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days | * | Typical weekday during the time specified |
| 19 | MCS | CW2_EXCISESP CW3_EXCISESP | "In the last four weeks, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days | * | past 4 weeks |
| 22 | ALSPAC | YPB2040 | "Do you take part in any strenuous/vigorous physical activity (e.g. rugby, football, netball, tennis, badminton, running, gym etc)?" | Never, less than monthly, once a fortnight, weekly, 2-4x week, 5+ x week | * | Past week |
| 26 | ALSPAC | YPF3050 | "(In an average week) Do you take part in any vigorous physical activity (e.g. rugby, football, netball, tennis, badminton, running, gym, etc.)?" | Never, less than monthly, once a fortnight, weekly, 2-4 times a week, 5+ times a week | Rugby, football, netball, tennis, badminton, running, gym, etc. | Average week |
| 28 | ALSPAC | covid1_3051 covid2_2003 | "Since the official lockdown was announced on March 23rd, how have the following aspects of your life changed? - Amount of physical activity/exercise you do" | Decreased, stayed the same, increased, not applicable | Amount of physical activity/ exercise | 1-2 months |
| 28 | ALSPAC | covid4_2030 | "Thinking about life now, compared to early months of lockdown (April and May 2020), have any of the following aspects of your life changed? - Amount of physical activity/exercise you do" | Decreased a lot, decreased a little, stayed the same, increased a little, increased a lot. | Amount of physical activity/ exercise | 9-12 months |
| 30 | BCS70 | exercise breathls sweat | "Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?" How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities? When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty? | Never, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Take part in competitive sport of any kind, go to 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, go running or jogging, go swimming, go cycling, go for walks, take part in water sports, take part in outdoor sports, go dancing, take part in any other sport or leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 31 | NSHD | SWIM77 CYCL77 SQUAS77 KFIT77 OACTS77 | "Please ring the codes below indicating any sports or keep fit activities you take part in and showing how often you do these things (during the season)." | Never, several times a year, 1x month, 1x week | Swimming, cycling, squash/tennis/badminton, keep fit, other | Not specified |
| 33 | NCDS | N504362 N504363 | "Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?" How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities? When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty? | Never, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Take part in competitive sport of any kind, go to 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, go running or jogging, go swimming, go cycling, go for walks, take part in water sports, take part in outdoor sports, go dancing, take part in any other sport or leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 34 | BCS70 | b7exerse b7breals | "Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?" How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities? When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty? | Never, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Take part in competitive sport of any kind, go to 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, go running or jogging, go swimming, go cycling, go for walks, take part in water sports, take part in outdoor sports, go dancing, take part in any other sport or leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 36 | NSHD | BADSN82 BADSH82 - ACT2N82 ACT2H82 | "(In your spare time) Have you taken part in any of these sports or outdoor activities in the last 4 weeks?" | Occurrences/week | Badminton, bowls, cricket, exercises, golf, hill or mountain climbing, jogging, rowing, running or athletics, sailing, squash or rackets, swimming, table tennis, tennis, yoga, water skiing, volleyball, scuba diving, basketball, fishing, riding, movement to music, weight training, ballroom dancing, other | Past 4 weeks |
| 42 | BCS70 | B9EXERSE | "On how many days in a typical week do you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | 0-7 days | * | Past week |
| 42 | NCDS | exercise breathls sweat | "Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities? How often do you take part in these exercise/sports activities? When you take part in these exercise/sports activities, do you get out of breath or sweaty? | Less often, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Take part in competitive sport of any kind, go to 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, go running or jogging, go swimming, go cycling, go for walks, take part in water sports, take part in outdoor sports, go dancing, take part in any other sport or leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 42 | BCS70 | B9SCQ2A B9SCQ2B B9SCQ2C B9SCQ2D B9SCQ2E B9SCQ2F B9SCQ2G B9SCQ2H B9SCQ2I B9SCQ2J B9SCQ2K B9SCQ2L B9SCQ2M B9SCQ2N B9SCQ2O | How often have you done each of the following sporting activities in the last 12 months?: Health/fitness/gym/conditioning activities Swimming or diving Cycling Dancing Jogging Walking for pleasure/rambling Racquet sports (tennis etc) Team sports (football) Martial arts, boxing, wrestling Water sports (rowing etc) Horse riding Yoga/pilates Golf Skiing Other | None, less often, 2-3x month, 1x week, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Health/fitness/gym/conditioning activities, swimming or diving, cycling, dancing, jogging, walking for pleasure/rambling, racquet sports (tennis etc.), team sports (football), martial arts, water sports (rowing etc.), horse riding, yoga/Pilates, golf, skiing, other | Past 12 months |
| 43 | NSHD | EXER89 EX1MY89 EX2MY89 EX3MY89 EX4MY89 EX1R89 EX2R89 EX3R89 EX4R89 EX1H89 EX1M89 EX2H89 EX2M89 EX3H89 EX3M89 EX4H89 EX4M89 EX1SW89 EX2SW89 EX3SW89 EX4SW89 | "Do you regularly take part in any sports or vigorous leisure activities or do any exercises? (things like badminston, swimming, yoga, press-ups, dancing, football, mountain climbing or jogging). If yes please list." For four main exercises: "How many months in the year do you do this?" "How often do you do this?" "On average, how long do you spend doing this?" "Does it usually make you sweaty and/or out of breath?" | Yes/No Months per year: 1-3 months a year, 3-6 months a year, 6-11 months a year, All year How often: Less than once a month, Less than once a week, Once a week, More than once a week How long: Hours & Minutes Sweaty/out of breath: Yes/No | Any sports or vigorous activity; Things like badminton, swimming, yoga, press-ups, dancing, football, mountain climbing or jogging | Not specified |
| 43 | NSHD | SWEAT89 | "Do you do any other activity at least once a week that makes you work up a sweat?" | No, Yes once a week, Twice a week, 3 times a week, 4 times a week, 5 times a week, 6 times a week, 7 or more times a week | * | Not specified |
| 44/45 | NCDS | Three variables per sport with suffixes: No suffix (how often...), H (Average time..., hours), M (Average time..., minutes) SWIMSLO SWIMLAP EASYWLK HILLWLK BIKESLO BIKEHD AEROBHI AEROBLO GYMWT GYMCV GYMFLR DANCE RUNNING JOGGING BOWLING TENNIS SQUASH TABTEN GOLF FOOTIE CRICKET ROWING NETBALL FISHING HRIDING SNOOKER MUSIC SKATING SAILING SKIING BOXING EXOTH1 EXOTH2 | "How often, on average, did you do this last year?" "Average time spent (hours/minutes) per episode?" | None, less than 1x month, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 2-4x week, daily. Minutes / Hours | Leisurely swimming; competitive swimming; walking for pleasure; backpacking, hill walking, or mountain climbing; cycling for pleasure ; racing or rough terrain cycling ; high impact aerobics, step aerobics ; other aerobics; exercises with weights; conditioning exercises (e.g., using an exercise bike or rowing machine); floor exercises (e.g., stretching, bending, keep fit); dancing (e.g. Ballroom, disco); competitive running; jogging; bowling; tennis or badminton; squash; table tennis; golf; football, rugby or hockey; cricket; rowing; netball, volleyball, basketball; fishing; horse riding; snooker, billiards, darts; musical instrument playing; ice skating; sailing, windsurfing, boating; winter sports (e.g., skiing); martial arts/boxing/wrestling; other exercises (please specify) | Past 12 months |
| 46 | NCDS | n7exers1 n7breals n7sweat | "Do you regularly take part in exercise/sport activities?" "How often do you take part in any activity of this type?" "When you participate in any activity of this type, would you say you got out of breath or sweaty?" | Less often, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Take part in competitive sport of any kind, go to 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, go running or jogging, go swimming, go cycling, go for walks, take part in water sports, take part in outdoor sports, go dancing, take part in any other sport or leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 46 | BCS70 | Three variables per sport with suffixes: No suffix (how often...), H (Average time..., hours), M (Average time..., minutes). Sports labelled with A/B/C...Z/AA/AB etc. B10Q25A to B10Q25II B10Q25AH to B10Q25IIH B10Q25AM to B10Q25IIM | "Please indicate how often you did each activity on average over the last 12 months AND the average length of time you spent doing the activity on each occasion" | None, less than once month, once a month, 2-3 times a month, once a week, 2-3 times a week, 4-5 times a week, 6 or more times a week Number of HOURS Number of MINUTES | Competitive swimming, Leisurely swimming, Backpacking or mountain climbing, Walking for pleasure, Racing or rough terrain cycling, Cycling for pleasure, High impact aerobics or step aerobics, Other types of aerobics, Exercises with weights, Conditioning exercises e.g. using an exercise bike or rowing machine, Floor exercises e.g. stretching, bending, keep fit or yoga, Dancing e.g. ballroom or disco, Competitive running, Jogging, Bowling - indoor/lawn/10 pin, Tennis/badminton, Squash, Table tennis, Golf, Football/rugby/ hockey, Cricket, Rowing, Netball/volleyball/basketball, Fishing, Horse-riding, Snooker/billiards/darts, Musical instrument playing/singing, Ice-skating, Sailing/windsurfing/boating, Martial arts/boxing/wrestling | Average over the last 12 months |
| 50 | NCDS | N8EXERSE N8BREALS N8SWEAT | "Do you regularly take part in any physical activities or exercise? How often do you take part in any activity of this type? When you participate in any activity of this type, would you say you got out of breath or sweaty | Less often, 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3x week, 4-5x week, daily | Competitive sport of any kind, 'keep fit' or aerobics classes, running or jogging, swimming, cycling, walks, water sports, outdoor sports, dancing, other leisure activity which involves physical exercise | Not specified |
| 50 | BCS70 | CW1_EXCISEPP CW2_EXCISEPP | "In the month before the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Month prior to pandemic |
| 50 | BCS70 | CW1_EXCISESP | "Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Since the pandemic started |
| 50 | BCS70 | CW2_EXCISESP CW3_EXCISESP | "In the last four weeks, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days | * | Past 4 weeks |
| 50 | BCS70 | CW1_Timeuse1_8_1 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday since the Coronavirus outbreak began?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Typical weekday since pandemic started |
| 50 | BCS70 | CW2_Timeuse_8 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday in the last two weeks? You can enter whole hours (e.g. 1) or half hours (e.g. 1.5). Please round to the nearest half an hour." | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Past 2 weeks |
| 53 | NSHD | EXER EXERN | "In the last 4 weeks, have you taken part in any sports or vigorous leisure activities or done any exercises in your spare time, not including getting to and from work, for 30 minutes or more?" | Occurrences per week | * | Past 4 weeks |
| 55 | NCDS | N9LEIS01 N9LEIS05 | "Whether you take part in the following activities and frequently 1) Play sport or go walking or swimming; 2) Attend leisure activity groups such as evening classes, keep fit, yoga etc" | Never, several times a year, 1x month, 1x week | Play sport or go walking or swimming. Attend leisure activity groups such as evening classes, keep fit, yoga etc. | Not specified |
| 60-64 | NSHD | WEXER09 WEXEN09 WEXES09 | "In the last 4 weeks, in your spare time, have you taken part in any sports or vigorous leisure activities or done any exercises, things like badminton, swimming, yoga, press-ups, dancing, football, mountain climbing or jogging" | Yes / No Number of times last month | Badminton, swimming, yoga, press-ups, dancing, football, mountain climbing or jogging | Past 4 weeks |
| 60-64 | NSHD | Three variables per activity: N prefix = frequency H prefix = Hours per episode M prefix = Mins per episode Core vars (to add prefix to): ACB09 ACD09 ACF09 ACK09 ACR09 ACS09 ACW09 ACX09 BWK09 CYP09 CYR09 GAB09 GAC09 GAE09 GAF09 GAG09 GAS09 GAT09 GAV09 GYA09 GYF09 GYH09 GYR09 GYW09 JOG09 PF09 PS09 RUN09 SWC09 SWL09 WAK09 | "Did you do any of the following activities in the last 12 months?" | Not done in last year, less than once a month, once a month; 2-3x month, 1x week, 2-3 x week, 4-5x week, 6x week, every day Hours of average time per episode Mins of average time per episode | Swimming (leisurely & competitive), walking for pleasure, backpacking/hill walking/mountain climbing, jogging, competitive running, cycling for pleasure, racing through rough terrain cycling, high impact aerobics, other aerobics, exercises with weights, conditioning exercises, floor exercises, dancing, musical instrument playing, horse riding, fishing, rowing, sailing/windsurfing/boating, ice-skating, winter sports, martial arts/boxing/wrestling, snooker/billiards/darts, bowling (indoor, lawn or ten pin), tennis/badminton, squash, table tennis, golf, netball/volleyball/basketball, football/rugby/hockey, cricket. | Past 12 months |
| 62 | NCDS | CW1_EXCISEPP CW2_EXCISEPP | "In the month before the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Month prior to pandemic |
| 62 | NCDS | CW1_EXCISESP | "Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Since the pandemic started |
| 62 | NCDS | CW2_EXCISESP CW3_EXCISESP | "In the last four weeks, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days | * | Past 4 weeks |
| 62 | NCDS | CW1_Timeuse1_8_1 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday since the Coronavirus outbreak began?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Typical weekday since pandemic started |
| 62 | NCDS | CW2_Timeuse_8 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday in the last two weeks?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Past 2 weeks |
| 74 | NSHD | CW1_EXCISEPP CW2_EXCISEPP | "In the month before the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Month prior to pandemic |
| 74 | NSHD | CW1_EXCISESP | "Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | * | Since the pandemic started |
| 74 | NSHD | CW2_EXCISESP CW3_EXCISESP | "In the last four weeks, on how many days in a typical week did you do 30 minutes or more of exercise where you are working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break into a sweat?" | Number of days per week | Past 4 weeks | |
| 74 | NSHD | CW1_Timeuse1_8_1 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday since the Coronavirus outbreak began?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Typical weekday since pandemic started |
| 74 | NSHD | CW2_Timeuse_8 | "How many hours have you been spending doing each of the following activities on a typical weekday in the last two weeks?" | Hours per day | Physical activity/ exercise | Past 2 weeks |
Notes. *Participation in individual activities was not recorded.
For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery. Where a variable range is provided, full variable lists can be accessed through the ‘Variable Groups’ tab on the linked Discovery page.
Use of parks and/or recreation facilities
ALSPAC 5y, 6y and MCS 5y, 7y, ask similar questions on park and recreational use (ALSPAC: “About how often does your child do the following… go to public park or playground”; MCS: “(How often do you…) take [^Cohort child’s name] to the park or to an outdoor playground?”) and can be compared in frequency (never, yearly, monthly, weekly, daily). These may therefore be comparable in terms of absolute physical activity levels.
BCS70 16y asks about past year trips (“Been in sports-community centre in last year? Number of times?”) and ALSPAC 18y (“In the last four weeks, have you been to or used the following things – Parks and other open spaces?”) may be compared in incidence of visiting recreational areas over the past month or year.
| Age | Study | Variable name(s) | Question wording | Response scale | Timespan of recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | BCS70 | E242 | "In the past 7 days has your child been to a park, recreation ground, adventure playground?" | Yes/No | Past week |
| 5 | ALSPAC | kn3123 | "About how often does your child do the following... go to public park or playground?" | Never, 1-2x year, few times year, 1x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, daily | Not specified |
| 5 | MCS | cmwalk | "(How often do you..) ..take your child to the park or to an outdoor playground?" | Never, less often, 1-2x month, 1-2x week, several times a week, daily | Not specified |
| 6 | ALSPAC | kp6073 | "About how often does your child do the following... go to public park or playground?" | Never, 1-2x year, few times year, 1x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, daily | Not specified |
| 7 | MCS | dmwalk | "(How often do you..) ..take your child to the park or to an outdoor playground?" | Never, 1-2x year, few times year, 1x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, daily | Not specified |
| 10 | BCS70 | M100 | "What sort of things (and frequency) does your child do on his/her own? Goes to park or playground on own" | Never, seldom, about once a week, almost every day | Not specified |
| 16 | BCS70 | JC23 | "Been in sports-community centre in last year? Number of times?" | Occasionally, 1-2x past month, 1x week, >1x week | Past year |
| 18 | ALSPAC | cct1001 | "In the last four weeks, have you been to or used the following things - Parks and other open spaces?" | Yes/No | Past 4 weeks |
| 28 | ALSPAC | covid1_3052 | "Since the official lockdown was announced on March 23rd, how have the following aspects of your life changed? - Visiting green space" | Decreased, Stayed the same, Increased, Not applicable | Since start of lockdown |
Notes. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery. Where a variable range is provided, full variable lists can be accessed through the ‘Variable Groups’ tab on the linked Discovery page.
Participation in sports classes
ALSPAC 4y, 5y, 6y, 7y, 8y, 9y, 11y and MCS 5y, 7y, 11y ask similar questions about attending sports clubs and classes (ALSPAC: “About how often does your child do the following during term time… go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)”; MCS: “On average how many days a week does [^Cohort child’s name] go to a club or class to do sport or any other physical activity like swimming, gymnastics, football, dancing etc?”) and may be compared in frequency (weekly/non-weekly; occurrences/week) levels.
| Age | Study | Variable name(s) | Question wording | Response scale | Included activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | ALSPAC | kl447 | "About how often does your child do the following during term time...? Go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)" | Never, yearly, monthly, once a week, 2-6x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 5 | ALSPAC | km4354 | "About how often does your child do the following during term time...? Go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)" | Never, yearly, monthly, once a week, 2-6x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 5 | MCS | cmseho | "On average how many days a week does your child go to a club or class to do sport or any other physical activity like swimming, gymnastics, football, dancing etc.?" | Never, 1x week, 2x week, 3x week, 4x week, 5+ week | Sports classes |
| 6 | ALSPAC | kq564 | "About how often does your child do the following? Go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)" | Never, yearly, monthly, once a week, 2-5x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 7 | MCS | SEHO | "On average how many days a week does your child go to a club or class to do sport or any other physical activity like swimming, gymnastics, football, dancing etc.?" | Never, less than 1x week, 1x week, 2x week, 3x week, 4x week, 5+ week | Sports classes |
| 8 | ALSPAC | kt3006 | "About how often does your child do the following go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)" | Never, yearly, monthly, once a week, 2-5x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 9 | ALSPAC | ku525 | "About how often does your child do the following...? Go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, sports)" | Never, less than monthly, 1-3x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 11 | ALSPAC | kw9005 | "About how often does your child do the following...? Go to special classes or clubs for some activity (e.g. dancing, judo, football, other sports)" | Never, less than monthly, 1-3x month, 1x week, 2-5x week, daily | Sports classes |
| 11 | MCS | EPSEHO00 | "On average how many days a week does your child go to a club or class to do sport or any other physical activity like swimming, gymnastics, football, dancing etc.?" | Never, less than 1x week, 1x week, 2x week, 3x week, 4x week, 5+ week | Sports classes |
Notes. For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery. Where a variable range is provided, full variable lists can be accessed through the ‘Variable Groups’ tab on the linked Discovery page.
Participation in sports clubs/teams
MCS 11y and ALSPAC 16y both ask questions on sports participation (MCS: “How often does she usually go out to youth, sports clubs or groups? What kind of club? What sports does she do?”; ALSPAC: “How often does she usually go out to youth, sports clubs or groups? What kind of club? What sports does she do?”) and are comparable in frequency (weekly/ non weekly). Since the NCDS 11y question was on a different scale, it is only likely comparable in terms of relative ranking of activity levels (NCDS: “Playing outdoor games or taking part in sports outside school hours”, responses: never or hardly ever, sometimes, often).
| Age | Study | Variable name(s) | Question wording | Response scale | Included activities | Timespan of recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | NCDS | N941 | "Playing outdoor games or taking part in sports outside school hours" | Never or hardly ever, sometimes, often | * | Not specified |
| 11 | MCS | ECQ03X00 | "How often do you play sports or active games inside or outside, not at school?" | Never, less than 1x month, 1x month, 1x week, daily | * | Not specified |
| 16 | ALSPAC | tc3031 - tc3061 | "How often does she usually go out to youth, sports clubs or groups? What kind of club? What sports does she do?" | Never, less than 1x week, 1x week, most evenings | Keep fit, aerobics or dancing classes, tennis, swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, martial arts, football, boxing, netball, weight training, hockey, other | Not specified |
Notes. *Participation in individual activities was not recorded.
For the named items in the table above, links are provided (where applicable) to their corresponding content on CLOSER Discovery. Where a variable range is provided, full variable lists can be accessed through the ‘Variable Groups’ tab on the linked Discovery page.
Explore the other domains of physical activity & the comparability of measurements across studies:
- Summary of cross-study comparisons
- Occupational activity
- Active travel
- Domestic activities
- Sedentary behaviour
Learn more about the studies covered by this guide and their measurement of physical activity:
- 1946 National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD)
- 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS)
- 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70)
- Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
- Millennium Cohort Study (MCS)
- Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS)
Further information:
- Acknowledgements and copyright information for this guide
- References for this guide
- Download the full guide as a PDF
- Electronic appendix: Index of all documented measures
This page is part of the CLOSER resource: ‘Physical activity across age and study: a guide to data in six CLOSER studies’.