People who participate in sport are likely to drink more than those not involved in sports, according to new research published yesterday.
The trend is particularly evident among women taking part in sports, especially team sports.
But young men playing team sports such as soccer, hurling, rugby and football also drink more than the general population.
The findings have been described as "troubling" by the ESRI, which conducted the research.
Its report, "Sports Participation and Health Among Adults in Ireland", said: "This is a troubling finding since high levels of alcohol consumption are known to be related to higher levels of mental illness and depression, but also to other social and relational problems, as well as higher risks of particular cancers and stroke."
It added that while sports participation is generally beneficial to people's health, its tendency to give rise to higher levels of alcohol consumption was a consequence that had attracted little attention in health promotion research.
"Sports promotion policy should be concerned about the association between certain kinds of sports and alcohol consumption and should develop means to weaken or break that connection," it added. The research found, however, that those who participated regularly in sport were less likely to smoke.
More than 3,000 adults across the State were interviewed for the research.
It established that at least one in five adults in the State take no physical exercise whatsoever. The main reasons they cited for failing to participate in exercise during leisure time was lack of interest, or because they were too busy. The cost of participating or lack of access to facilities didn't seem to be an impediment.
The report said that while, as a general rule, initiatives which focus on the provision of sports facilities would be unlikely to have a major impact on raising levels of sports participation, it could be that wider provision of swimming pools, for example, might encourage more people to swim.
"It is also possible that people would walk and cycle more if there were more safe and attractive footpaths and cycle paths on which they could do so.
"This highlights the importance of physical planning and design in providing a supportive context for physical activity. These issues arise as much in the countryside as in urban areas: Irish country roads typically have no footpaths or cycle paths, fields are increasingly closed off to walkers, and provision of public parks and walkways is limited."
International research, according to the report, has shown that physical inactivity is a major contributor to poor health and premature mortality. It says it is recommended by the WHO that people aim to achieve an accumulated 30 minutes of moderate activity for five or more days per week as the minimum basis for good health.
Only about 40 per cent of adults surveyed by the ESRI met this requirement.
The research, commissioned by the Irish Sports Council, established that men participated in sports more than women and younger people more than older people. Higher socio-economic groups also had higher levels of participation.