Study of Commitment to Recreational Sports in Chinese Urban Residents

Abstract

Introduction: Exercise commitment plays an explanatory and guiding role in an individual's adherence to exercise behavior. However, exercise commitment in recreational situations is poorly studied. Objective: Develop a sporting and recreational behavior questionnaire based on the commitment scale for Chinese urban residents. Methods: Two stages were conducted, the first with a sample of 453 individuals to explore and verify the determinants of behavioral commitment in recreational sport and the fit of the framework, and the second with a sample of 786 individuals to investigate the relationship between behavioral commitment in recreational sport and its determinants. Results: Behavioral commitment in-play sport included five determinants: ‘motivation to participate’, ‘personal involvement’, ‘choice to participate’, ‘opportunity to participate’, ‘social support’. The constructed model showed a good fit. The factors: ‘motivation to participate’, ‘personal engagement’ and ‘interest to participate’, showed a significant positive association with engagement and a significant negative association with a choice to participate. Conclusion: The resulting model shows characteristics of recreational sport behavior and can be used as a measure of commitment to recreational sport behavior among residents of a Chinese city. Level of evidence II; Diagnostic Studies- Investigating a Diagnostic Test.