Abstract:
Background: Recreational sports (RS) allows a person to be physically and mentally fit,
without practices and pressure of competition. Most people lead a sedentary lifestyle, which
makes them unhealthy and the victims of many conditions such as cardiovascular diseases
and diabetes mellitus. In addition, being physically inactive has a negative impact on one’s
mental well-being.
Objectives: To assess whether RS are a part of people’s day to day lives, and their health in
association with it.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on people between ages of
16 to 50 who were selected using a convenient sampling method in an urban setting in
Colombo District, using self-administered online questionnaires.
Results and conclusions: From the total participants, 52.2% take part in RS out of which,
64.8% do so for fitness reasons. 56.6% were aware of the mental and physical benefits of
RS, however, majority (59.5% from the 52.2% that participate in RS) only participated in
RS less than 3 hours per week and 48.6% people consider themselves to be neither too
healthy nor unhealthy. It was also found that most people (55.9%) drink 1-3 glasses more
water than their usual intake before and after (63.6%) RS, which keeps them better hydrated
throughout the day. Most (64%) do not follow a diet plan, as they do not perform these
sports for weight loss or competing purposes. Majority of the people participate in RS, but
they do not perform it for the recommended time duration, and therefore, it does not have as
much of a significant effect on their well-being.
