Promoting Physical Activity Habits after Completing Secondary School: Does the Age Matter?

Physical inactivity is one of the most important problems in our society, especially during adolescence. During this stage of schooling, students practice physical activity in physical education classes, but after they finish school, many of them stop practicing it. This research aims to determine which variables predict the intention to practice physical activity after finishing secondary school and to discover the effect that age during adolescence has on these predictive variables. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of secondary school students. The results show that physical exercise identity influences the three antecedents of this theory, while the attitude towards the behaviour (ß = 0.13; p < 0.05), perceived behavioural control (ß = 0.46; p < 0.05), and physical self-concept (ß = 0.41; p < 0.05), have a statistically significant influence on the intention to be physically active. Moreover, when the age is lower, is more important to develop a positive perceived behavioural control and physical exercise identity. Moreover, for younger male adolescents instead of the physical exercise itself, identity seems more important in developing a positive attitude towards behaviour. Likewise, in young female adolescents a low level of support from their close environment (subjective norm) leads to dropping out. The research concludes with the importance of including these variables in physical education classes to promote physical activity practice after completion of secondary school. Some practical implications are presented.

Percepciones de los residentes sobre el turismo deportivo: impactos, calidad de vida y apoyo al sector / Residents' perceptions of sports tourism: impacts, quality of life and support for the industry / Percepções dos residentes sobre o turismo desportivo: impactos, qualidade de vida e apoio ao sector

El sector del turismo deportivo recibe cada vez una mayor atención por parte de los distintos agentes sociales, teniendo un alto impacto en distintas esferas de la sociedad. El turismo no sólo afecta a las actitudes de los residentes hacia su desarrollo, sino también a su calidad de vida en general. Una vez que una comunidad o población se convierte en un destino turístico, la calidad de vida de los residentes locales se ve afectada por el desarrollo del mismo. Por consiguiente, es relevante conocer cuáles son las percepciones de los residentes respecto al impacto que causa el turismo deportivo. Por ello, el objetivo del presente estudio es analizar las percepciones de los residentes de Gran Canaria hacia los efectos del turismo deportivo, en ámbitos como su impacto, la calidad de vida y el apoyo al sector. Los resultados del estudio indican que, a mayores niveles de percepción positivos de los residentes sobre los impactos sociales, culturales, ambientales y económicos, hay un mayor apoyo hacia el desarrollo del turismo. Por otra parte, también se produce un efecto mediador significativo de la variable calidad de vida de los residentes, entre la relación de impactos percibidos y el apoyo al desarrollo del turismo activo y deportivo en Gran Canaria. Estos resultados posibilitan un mejor entendimiento de la perspectiva que los residentes tienen hacía el sector turístico deportivo, algo que puede ayudar a orientar futuras decisiones sobre la práctica, desarrollo y planificación del turismo deportivo

The sports tourism sector is receiving increasing attention from different social actors, having a high impact on different spheres of society. Tourism not only affects residents' attitudes towards their development, but also their quality of life in general. Once a community or population becomes a tourist destination, the quality of life of local residents is affected by its development. It is therefore important to know what residents' perceptions are of the impact of sports tourism. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the perceptions of the residents of Gran Canaria towards the effects of sports tourism, in areas such as its impact, quality of life and support for the sector. The results of the study indicate that, at higher levels of positive perception by residents of the social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts, there is greater support for the development of tourism. On the other hand, there is also a significant mediating effect of the variable quality of life of the residents, between the relationship of perceived impacts and the support for the development of active and sports tourism in Gran Canaria. These results make it possible to better understand the perspective that residents have towards the sports tourism sector, something that can help guide future decisions on the practice, development and planning of sports tourism

O sector do turismo desportivo está a receber cada vez mais atenção por parte de diferentes actores sociais, tendo um elevado impacto em diferentes esferas da sociedade. O turismo não afecta apenas as atitudes dos residentes em relação ao seu desenvolvimento, mas também a sua qualidade de vida em geral. Uma vez que uma comunidade ou população se torna um destino turístico, a qualidade de vida dos residentes locais é afectada pelo seu desenvolvimento. Por conseguinte, é importante conhecer a percepção que os residentes têm do impacto do turismo desportivo. Portanto, o objectivo deste estudo é analisar as percepções dos residentes da Gran Canária sobre os efeitos do turismo desportivo, em áreas como o seu impacto, qualidade de vida e apoio ao sector. Os resultados do estudo indicam que, em níveis mais elevados de percepção positiva dos residentes sobre os impactos sociais, culturais, ambientais e econômicos, há maior apoio para o desenvolvimento do turismo. Por outro lado, existe também um efeito mediador significativo da variável qualidade de vida dos residentes, entre a relação de impactos percebidos e o apoio ao desenvolvimento do turismo ativo e desportivo na Gran Canária. Estes resultados permitem compreender melhor a perspectiva que os residentes têm em relação ao sector do turismo desportivo, algo que pode ajudar a orientar futuras decisões sobre a prática, desenvolvimento e planeamento do turismo desportivo

Sporting Habits of Urban Runners: Classification According to Their Motivation.

This study analyses the sporting habits of runners participating in short-distance urban running events to identify groups with different motivations towards the practice of endurance running and participation in urban running events. A sample consisting of 937 participants in the Valencia running circuit was interviewed using a questionnaire consisting of a scale of 22 items to analyse their motives for participating in popular races. An exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis was carried out to check the validity of the instrument, and the analysis identified the following four factors into which the indicators were grouped: psychological and physical motives (3 items), social motives and interest in running events (5 items), occupation of time and social recognition (6 items) and competitive and material motives (3 items). Subsequently, a cluster analysis was performed by combining hierarchical and non-hierarchical methods, and the analysis identified the following three groups of runners with different characteristics: individual hedonists (n = 276), enthusiasts (n = 312) and socializing hedonists (n = 349). Enthusiastic runners consider most motives important when participating in running events, individual hedonists consider individual psychological and physical motives important, and socializing hedonists consider personal and social motives and interest in sport important. Variables related to age, educational level, annual income level, frequency of running, how the individuals went out to run and the level of the runners contributed to differentiating the identified groups. The results confirm the heterogeneous nature of urban runners.

Validação de uma escala para a análise das percepções dos moradores sobre o impacto social de um centro esportivo / Validación de una escala para el análisis de las percepciones de los residentes sobre el impacto social de un centro deportivo / Validation of a scale to analyse resident's perceptions of the social impact of a sports centre

O objetivo deste estudo foi validar uma escala para a análise das percepções dos moradores sobre o impacto social de um centro esportivo. Se recolheu uma amostra de 406 moradores do município de Moncada (Valência) com erro de amostragem de ± 4,82. Os moradores responderam a um questionário de 31 itens que incluíram possíveis impactos sociais derivados da presença do complexo esportivo na localidade. A aplicação da análise fatorial exploratória e confirmatória reduziu a escala para 28 indicadores distribuídos em sete dimensões de impacto: impacto sociocultural, impacto socioeconômico, impacto na imagem e promoção do município, impacto no desenvolvimento e infraestruturas urbanas, impacto na coesão social, igualdade e equidade, impacto na saúde e impacto nos hábitos e níveis de atividade física. Os resultados permitiram verificar a validade e confiabilidade da escala proposta para o objeto de estudo

La finalidad de este estudio es validar una escala para el análisis de las percepciones de los residentes sobre el impacto social de un centro deportivo. Se recogió una muestra de 406 residentes del municipio de Moncada (Valencia), con un error de muestreo de ±4,82, que contestaron a una encuesta de 31 ítems que recogían posibles impactos sociales derivados de la presencia del centro deportivo en la localidad. La aplicación de análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio redujo la escala a 28 indicadores distribuidos en siete dimensiones de impacto: impacto sociocultural, impacto socioeconómico, impacto en la imagen y la promoción del municipio, impacto en el desarrollo urbano y las infraestructuras, impacto en la cohesión social, igualdad y equidad, impacto sobre la salud e impacto sobre los hábitos y niveles de actividad física. Los resultados permitieron comprobar la validez y fiabilidad de la escala propuesta para el objeto de estudio

The purpose of this study is to validate a scale to analyse residents' perceptions of the social impact of a sports centre. A sample of 406 residents of Moncada, Valencia, was collected with sampling error of ±4.82. They responded to a 31-item survey on potential social impacts of the presence of the sports centre in that town. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis reduced the scale to 28 indicators distributed in seven impact dimensions: sociocultural; socioeconomic; image and promotion of the town; urban development and infrastructures; social cohesion; equality and equity; health; and physical activity habits and levels. The results made it possible to check the validity and reliability of the scale proposed for the object of study

Percepción de los visitantes sobre el impacto social y sus intenciones con respecto a la celebración de un evento deportivo de pequeña escala / Visitors' perception on the social impact and intentions regarding holding a small-scale sporitng event

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la percepción de los visitantes, residentes y no residentes, que acudieron al Valencia Boat Show en 2014 sobre los impactos sociales y sus intenciones con respecto a las próximas ediciones, así como conocer qué impactos son los mejores predictores de las preferencias de los visitantes. Se estudió una muestra de 757 visitantes mediante una encuesta compuesta de 14 ítems que recogían posibles impactos positivos y negativos derivados de la celebración del evento así como las intenciones de los visitantes. Los resultados del análisis factorial exploratorio permitieron identificar cuatro factores en los que se agruparon los ítems: impactos positivos tangibles (4 ítems), impactos positivos intangibles (4 ítems), impactos negativos (3 ítems) e intenciones de los visitantes (3 ítems). Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la percepción de los visitantes residentes y no residentes sobre los impactos positivos tangibles y los impactos negativos. El modelo de relaciones permitió comprobar la existencia de una relación positiva significativa entre los impactos intangibles y las intenciones de los visitantes, y negativa con los impactos negativos y las intenciones

The aim of this study was to analyse the visitors' perception, residents and non-residents who attended the Valencia Boat Show in 2014, on the social impacts, and their intentions with respect to future editions, as well as knowing which impacts are the best predictors of visitors' preferences. A sample of 757 visitors was examined through a survey composed of 14 items that collected potential positive and negative impacts of holding the event as well as visitors' intentions. The results of exploratory factor analysis allowed identification of four factors in which the items were grouped: tangible positive impacts (4 items), intangible positive impacts (4 items), negative impacts (3 items) and visitors' intentions (3 items). Statistically significant differences were found in the residents and non-resident visitors' perception on tangible positive impacts and negative impacts. The relationship model supports the existence of a significant positive relationship between negative intangible impacts and visitors'intentions, and the negative impacts and intentions