Characteristics of participants in stretch (n=1220) and control (n=1157) groups
| Stretch group | Control group | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Female | 763 (62.5) | 749 (64.7) |
| Age | Mean (SD) | 39.8 (12.6) | 40.0 (12.5) |
| Nationality | Norwegian | 662 (54.3) | 638 (55.1) |
| Australian | 235 (19.3) | 250 (21.6) | |
| Other | 323 (26.5) | 269 (23.2) | |
| Average number of sessions of physical activity each week | Once per week | 41 (3.4) | 26 (2.3) |
| Twice | 216 (17.8) | 202 (17.6) | |
| Three times | 411 (33.8) | 370 (32.1) | |
| Four times | 230 (18.9) | 251 (21.8) | |
| Five times | 195 (16.0) | 185 (16.1) | |
| Six times | 71 (5.8) | 59 (5.1) | |
| Greater than six times per week | 51 (4.2) | 58 (5.0) | |
| Average duration of a session of physical activity | <30 min | 39 (3.2) | 48 (4.2) |
| 30–60 min | 758 (62.4) | 719 (62.5) | |
| >60 min | 418 (34.4) | 384 (33.4) | |
| Most vigorous type of physical activity | Running | 387 (31.9) | 373 (32.4) |
| Cross-country skiing | 33 (2.7) | 32 (2.8) | |
| Downhill skiing | 1 (0.1) | 2 (0.2) | |
| Walking | 36 (3.0) | 31 (2.7) | |
| Cycling | 178 (14.7) | 157 (13.6) | |
| Ball games | 86 (7.1) | 84 (7.3) | |
| Aerobics | 78 (6.4) | 72 (6.3) | |
| Gym | 260 (21.4) | 224 (19.5) | |
| Friskis and svettis | 61 (5.0) | 68 (5.9) | |
| Other | 95 (7.8) | 108 (9.4) | |
| Do you normally warm up? | Always | 557 (45.8) | 557 (48.4) |
| Now and then | 479 (39.4) | 423 (36.8) | |
| Never | 179 (14.7) | 171 (14.9) | |
| It is important to stretch when doing vigorous physical activity | Strongly disagree | 46 (3.8) | 45 (3.9) |
| Disagree | 140 (11.5) | 118 (10.3) | |
| Neither | 449 (37.0) | 420 (36.5) | |
| Agree | 406 (33.4) | 402 (34.9) | |
| Strongly agree | 174 (14.3) | 166 (14.4) | |
| Normally stretch | Yes | 656 (53.8) | 616 (53.2) |
| Do you enjoy stretching? | Enjoy | 336 (51.2) | 330 (53.6) |
| Neither | 280 (42.7) | 260 (42.2) | |
| Dislike | 40 (6.1) | 26 (4.2) | |
| Reason for stretching | Reduces soreness | 192 (34.6) | 185 (30.0) |
| Enhances performance | 111 (20.0) | 116 (18.8) | |
| Reduce risk of injury | 99 (17.8) | 107 (17.4) | |
| Enhances sense of well-being | 78 (14.1) | 73 (11.9) | |
| Increases feeling of looseness | 12 (2.2) | 19 (3.1) | |
| Other | 63 (11.4) | 116 (18.8) | |
| Timing of stretches | Before | 60 (9.2) | 42 (6.9) |
| After | 453 (69.6) | 425 (69.6) | |
| Before and after | 138 (21.2) | 144 (23.6) | |
| Duration of stretch | <5 min | 108 (16.6) | 100 (16.4) |
| 5–10 min | 395 (60.7) | 368 (60.2) | |
| >10 min | 148 (22.7) | 143 (23.4) |
Data are counts (percentage of group in parentheses) except where indicated. Some baseline data were missing for 11 participants (0.5% of the sample). Total counts for the last four items are substantially less than the total sample because this question was only answered by those who normally stretch.