Habits and Preferences for Sports and Recreation in Medellín: An Application of Logit Models

This paper makes a theoretical review of the factors influencing sports and recreational practices. It also provides information allowing one to understand why Medellin’s citizens do or do not participate into such practices, which physical activities they prefer and how often and with what intensity, how they face participation restrictions, and who influences their decision to take part in these activities. We surveyed 1,234 over-15-year-old people, and built two binary logit models for measuring the determinants of frequency and intensity of sports practices. We conclude that there is a high demand for sports and recreational practices in Medellín, with greater intensity in women, but limited by the high opportunity cost of those who work and are married or in cohabitation.