Friends in Sports: Social Networks in Leisure, School and Social Media

Choosing Your Sports Partners: Assessing Selection Preferences Through Observational and Experimental Studies

Previous research has demonstrated the positive impact of doing sports together on maintaining physical activity levels. Yet, there remains a gap in understanding the selection processes leading to sports partnerships. We address this question using a two-study design. Study 1 examines longitudinal ego-network data; we analyze data of 1,222 sports partnerships among 409 Dutch university students. We find that emotional closeness, rather than skill similarity, is a key determinant of sports partnership continuation over time. We do not find that the sports setting in which sports partnerships are embedded (i.e. sports clubs, informal groups, commercial gyms, unorganized settings) affect the stability of sports partnerships. Study 2 employs a discrete choice experiment, in which individuals are tasked to choose a sports partner out of choice-sets consisting of three sports partners who vary in the types of motivations and resources they offer (i.e. social comparison, knowledge, companionship, encouragement). People express a strong preference for sports partners who emphasize social aspects of sports, but as individuals become more active, sports partners who emphasize social comparison and who are knowledgeable about sports gain attractiveness. We discuss the implications of these findings for tailored strategies leveraging social networks to promote sports participation.

Relationship and mechanisms between internet use and physical exercise among middle- and younger-aged groups

The "Internet Plus" era has established a closer connection between sports and individuals. This study used data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies and focused on the middle- and younger-aged population aged 15 to 59 years. Employing a negative binomial regression model, this study empirically analyzed the impact of Internet use on physical exercise and its internal mechanisms among this population. The findings revealed that (1) Internet use significantly promoted physical exercise in the middle- and younger-aged population, with the frequency of physical exercise increasing to 1.549 times the original value; (2) The positive effects of the internet on physical exercise outweighed the negative effects, with online learning and entertainment enhancing physical exercise and online socialization limiting it. Specifically, online learning and entertainment increased the frequency of physical exercise among the middle- and younger-aged population by 0.063 and 0.018, respectively. Online socialization reduced the frequency by 0.023; and (3) The influence of internet use on physical exercise varies; significantly, it positively affects the exercise frequency among individuals over 35 years old and shows a positive correlation with employment status, including both employed individuals and those out of the labor market. The positive role of Internet use in encouraging physical exercise participation among the middle- and young-aged groups should be valued and enhanced.

Self-assessment of the health status and leisure activities of individuals on haemodialysis

Self-assessment of health status is an important marker of social and health aspects. Haemodialysis is an option for renal replacement therapy that alters daily life and impacts social participation and the performance of tasks that give the subject a socially accepted role. In this scenario, leisure activities have the potential to generate well-being and are associated with several aspects of daily life, but few studies have analysed their relationship with the self-assessment of health status. This is a cross-sectional, census study with 1024 individuals from haemodialysis units of a Southeast Brazilian region, with the application of a questionnaire in 2019. We calculated the difference between the proportions of self-assessment of health status (positive and negative) and the two logistic regression models. The chances of individuals on haemodialysis negatively evaluating their health increase when they do not perform artistic leisure activities (OR 2.15; 95% CI 1.35-3.43), physical and sports activities (OR 3.20; 95% CI 1.86-5.52), intellectual (OR 2.21; 95% CI 1.44-3.41), manuals (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.22-2.72), social (OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.74-4.31), tourist (OR 2.08; 95% CI 1.37-3.17) and idleness and contemplative (OR 1.92; 95% CI 1.29-2.85). Negative health self-assessment is associated with not practicing artistic, manual, physical and sporting, social, intellectual, tourist, and contemplative leisure activities, which have the function of providing social participation and giving meaning to life.

Building social capital through sport engagement: evidence for adults aged 50 years and older

Involvement in sports is considered a powerful way to generate social capital. However, the role of sport engagement in the development of social relationships of older adults has not received much attention. Remarkably, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the quality and diversity of social relations built through active sport participation and spectatorship. This paper attempts to assess the relationship between sport engagement and various measures of network social capital, including the extension and quality of social networks and the heterogeneity of personal relationships. Also, it proposes new and more informative measurements of an individual's quantity and quality of social ties. By analysing data from a survey in Spain (N = 600) and applying logistic regressions, the results show that sport participation and attendance at sporting events are closely related to different dimensions of network social capital. Concerning people who are not actively engaged in sports, more extensive social networks characterise those who frequently attend sporting events. In contrast, active sport participation is associated with the extensity and quality measures of social connectedness, the level of satisfaction with friends and the opportunity to enjoy close relationships. Therefore, this paper provides new evidence on how sport engagement may result in tighter and extensive networks for older adults and serve as support for emphasising sports, physical activity and leisure as strategies for maintaining and boosting older people's social and psychological health.