The bar chart shows the proportions of male and female Australians in six age groups participating in routine exercises in 2010. The data suggest that while the level of involvement for men improved with age in the three older age groups, that for females generally increased in direct relation to their age and was typically higher than that of men.
The youngest male cohort was the most active, with nearly 53% participation, but this declined across older age groups, particularly among those aged 25 to 34, with only 39.5% participation from men aged 35 to 44. In contrast, the participation rate in older groups increased again with age, by approximately 2% for each cohort, with the oldest cohort showing a nearly 47% rate.
However, the data about females represents a different pattern. While roughly 48% of the youngest females participated in regular exercise (the only group with a lower percentage than that of males), the figures for subsequent cohorts increased with age, with the highest figure of 53.3% in the 45-54 age range. However, this was followed by lower figures, especially in the 65+ age range, which nearly matched the figure for men.
