Economic Factors Associated with Physical Activity and Sports

This work is devoted to economic factors associated with sport. The average index of body weight increases in Russia over the years, that is the reason why there is a rapid prevalence of obesity and overweight among Russians. Sport is one of the types of physical activity that can prevent diseases associated with overweight and premature mortality. Nevertheless, there are still a little study devoted to individual choice in favor of sports in Russia. The study expected to find that the likelihood of doing sports for health reasons is associated with bad habits such as alcohol and smoking, as well as the costs of sports associate with alcohol comsumption. The empirical analysis is based on the survey of the analytical center of Yuri Levada about the attitude of people to their own health and the quality of medical care in our country, conducted in 2017. The estimation used probabilistic models of binary choice, the two-step model of Hexprobit, Heckman and Tobit model. It was found that the presence of unhealthy habits in the individual is associated with a lower likelihood of doing sports for recreational purposes. Individuals who engage in sports with their friends are inclined to engage in sports more than those that are engaged alone.