Sports Group Participation Research Articles

Correlates of Regular Participation in Sports Groups among Japanese Older Adults: JAGES Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundParticipation in a sports group is key for the prevention of incident functional disability. Little is known about the correlates of older adults’ participation in sports groups, although this could assist with the development of effective health strategies. The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic and biological, psychosocial, behavioral, social and cultural, and environmental correlates of sports group participation among Japanese older adults.MethodsData were obtained from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation study, which was a population–based cohort of people aged ≥65 years without disability enrolled from 31 municipalities across Japan (n = 78,002). Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the associations between the factors and participation in sports groups.ResultsNon-regular participation in sports groups was associated with lower educational level, being employed, and working the longest in the agricultural/forestry/fishery industry among the demographic and biological factors and poor self-rated health and depression among the psychosocial factors. Of the behavioral factors, current smoking was negatively associated and current drinking was positively associated with regular participation in sports groups. Among the social and cultural factors, having emotional social support and participating in hobby clubs, senior citizen clubs, or volunteer groups were associated with a high prevalence of participation in sports groups. Perceptions of the presence of parks or sidewalks, good access to shops, and good accessibility to facilities were positively associated with participation in sports groups among the environmental factors.ConclusionsOur study suggests that the promotion of activities that could increase older adults’ participation in sports groups should consider a broad range of demographic and biological, psychosocial, behavioral, social and cultural, and environmental factors. Although future longitudinal studies to elucidate the causal associations are needed, encouraging participation in community groups through social networks might be effective for participation in sports groups.

Social Participation and Dental Health Status among Older Japanese Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundAlthough social participation is a key determinant of health among older adults, few studies have focused on the association between social participation and dental health. This study examined the associations between social participation and dental health status in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.Methods and FindingsIn 2010, self-administered postal questionnaires were distributed to all people aged ≥65 years in Iwanuma City, Japan (response rate, 59.0%). Data from 3,517 respondents were analyzed. Data on the number of remaining natural teeth, for determining the dental health status, and social participation were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. The number, type, and frequency of social activities were used to assess social participation. Social activities were political organizations or associations, industrial or professional groups, volunteer groups, senior citizens' clubs, religious groups or associations, sports groups, neighborhood community associations, and hobby clubs. Using ordinal logistic regression, we calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for an increase in category of remaining teeth based on the number, type, and frequency of social activities. Sex, age, marital status, current medical history, activity of daily living, educational attainment, and annual equivalent income were used as covariates. Of the respondents, 34.2% reported having ≥20 teeth; 27.1%, 10–19 teeth; 26.3%, 1–9 teeth; and 12.4%, edentulousness. Social participation appeared to be related with an increased likelihood of having a greater number of teeth in old age, even after adjusting for covariates (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.10–1.53). Participation in sports groups, neighborhood community associations, or hobby clubs was significantly associated with having more teeth.ConclusionsOur results suggest a protective effect of social participation on dental health. In particular, participation in sports groups, neighborhood community associations, or hobby clubs might be a strong predictor for retaining more teeth in later life.

Analysis on Essence, Types and Characteristics of Leisure Sports

Leisure Sports are freeform, voluntary and non-competitive activities, which aim to regulate the mental state of people. Leisure Sports are not a specific sport project but a kind of social existence form of sport. Leisure sports projects are all-inclusive, which are generally divided into four types: sports recreational activities, sports fitness activities, sports adventure activities and sports social activities. They are characterized by the diversity of sports forms, the epochal character of sports contents, the voluntary participation in sports groups and the complexity of sports levels.

Participation in Sports Groups for Patients with Cardiac Problems: An Experimental Study

An experimental study was carried out to determine the influence of participation in Sports Groups for Patients with Cardiac Problems (SPCP) on physical and mental fitness and on risk factor level after myocardial infarction. SPCP members (n = 74; 67 men and 7 women) were compared with Nonsporting Patients with Cardiac Problems (NPCP, n = 60; 52 men and 8 women). Patients were a random sample from two hospitals in the Netherlands. In comparison with NPCP, the SPCP group showed a greater maximum oxygen uptake, a higher degree of perceived well-being, and a lower risk factor level. After correction for differences in cardiac and personal characteristics, SPCP yielded an independent significant multivariate effect on maximum oxygen uptake, perceived well-being, and risk factor level. Therefore, the application and integration of SPCP in cardiac rehabilitation should be further investigated.