Dimensions of sports participation: evidence from Mexico

The World Health Organization has developed global recommendations for physical activity to prevent non-communicable diseases (WHO, 2010). In the case of adults, the WHO states that they should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or a combination of both. Physical activity should be done in bouts of at least ten minutes. Also, muscle-strengthening activities are recommended at least twice a week. These recommendations highlight the different dimensions of physical activity: frequency, duration, type and intensity. There are plenty of studies worldwide on the analysis of correlates of exercise or sports, although most of them focus on developed countries. Rhodes et al. (2017) survey the physical activity research, and point out that physical activity can be characterised by the FITT principles (Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type). However, not many studies have addressed the multidimensional nature of physical activity. Researchers usually pay attention to one or two dimensions, for example: the decision to participate; the total amount of time allocated; the number of times; the type of sport; and, to a lesser extent, the intensity of practice.