The given bar graph demonstrates the percentage of New Zealand’s male and female populations participating frequently in exercise in 2008, categorized by 6 age groups.
Overall, women aged 24 and above engaged in physical activities more than men whereas the opposite was true of the age bracket of 14 to 23. Additionally, while women aged 44 to 53 were most likely to engage in physical workouts at the rate of 54.2%, the lowest participation rate was recorded at 38.8% in men from their 34 to 43.
Focusing on the male demographic, men participated in such practicing most actively during their youth-specifically from 14 to 23 years old-at 51.7%. However, their involvement frequency reduced notably as they got older, reaching the lowest point at 38.8% . Nevertheless, from this point onwards, the rate then rose gradually, with 47.2% of those aged 64 and above participating.
The female group displayed a contrasting trajectory from that of men. Despite having a lower rate of engagement in health-related activities from 14 to 23 years old, women partook remarkably more often when they reached middle age, peaking at 54.2%. Following this peak, a slight decline was observed, with the figure falling to 48.1% for those aged 64 and over. To summarize, the disparity between the figures of the two genders narrowed over time-from roughly 15% to approximately 1%.