Parish reasons for the practice of extracurricular physical exercise: differences according to sex and sport

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the reasons for the practice of extracurricular physical exercise in children based on gender and sport. An analytical cross-sectional study design was used; through the application of the self-report questionnaire of Reasons for the Practice of Physical Exercise. The study sample consisted of 41 participants aged 6 to 12 years (M = 9.54, SD = 1.85), of whom 21 were male and 20 were female. The results showed that there are no differences based on sex, on the other hand, depending on the sport, there are differences in the factors: competition, social recognition and health emergencies for the sports of soccer, boxing and folk dance, while for the factors of muscular strength and endurance and health emergencies the differences were only found in the disciplines soccer and folk dance. It is concluded that coaches should encourage motivation so that these physical sports skills are oriented towards the various reasons for practice, which will contribute to a healthy lifestyle in athletes of childhood ages.