The findings are based on data from several of the annual Health Surveys for England from 1997 to 2006 involving 61,000 adults -- 27,217 men. In 2006, men were around 10 percent more likely, and women around 20 percent more likely to participate regularly in sports compared to 1997.

This suggests that the perception that there is a decline in sporting activities may be "oversimplistic," however, the study authors at the University College London conclude that the decline in sporting activity among younger people is a cause for concern.

The increase is mainly attributable to gym and fitness activities, with both sexes about 20 percent more likely to participate in them than they were in 1997. The proportion of regular female runners also doubled to 4 percent over the decade.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found the increases in sports participation was largely restricted to middle-aged and older people, with clear increasing trends seen among both sexes over the age of 45 and older and among 30- to 44-year-old women.