Subjective Well-being and Engagement in Leisure Sports Events：an Illustration of Annual 100km Hike in China

Abstract

Leisure sports events are increasingly popular in China and have an important economic and cultural impact on urban Chinese society. Taking the 100-kilometer Hike Through Shenzhen as an example, the purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the dimensions of service quality, leisure involvement, satisfaction and subjective well-being by using a structural equation modelling (SEM). Results show that environment, interaction and outcomes each has a significant positive impact on service quality. It was also found that service quality of the event has a significant impact on participants’ happiness by positively affecting their leisure involvement and satisfaction. Results suggest that marketing campaigns with an emotional component can deepen participants’ sense of identity in regard to events, enhance individuals’ physical well-being and promote a ‘healthy China’.