Characteristics of people with challenge using two different sports facilities in Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the levels of satisfaction and needs of the users of sports centers that are established exclusively for people with physical challenges. Two centers were studied: one located in Hiroshima (H) Prefecture which was established in 1996 and has many regular users, and another one located in Tokushima (T) Prefecture which has been established in April 2006. A questionnaire survey was carried out at both centers during the period extending from May to August 2007. It was either administered via interview or by collecting the completed questionnaire sheets at later times. A total of 201 valid responses were obtained, consisting of 101 responses from H Prefecture and 100 responses from T Prefecture. In both H and T Prefectures, approximately 70% of the respondents selected swimming and weight training as their preferred choices of sports activities. As to the number of years during which respondents have been engaged in sports activities, 52.5% of the respondents in H Prefecture selected "three or more years" as their answers, and 33% of the respondents in T Prefecture selected "one or less than a year". These results suggest that the center established only recently in T Prefecture is putting much effort in promoting sports activities among physically challenged people. The answers to the question about the reasons for using the center varied depending on the time at which the centers had been established, with "a friend's recommendation" being the most common answers among the respondents in H Prefecture, and "out of own free will" being the most common answers among the respondents in T Prefecture. Respondents in both prefectures replied that they were comfortable with the intensity and content of the sports activities available at the respective center. Respondents in H Prefecture experienced more psychological benefits of sports activities than their counterparts in T Prefecture. This could be due to the fact that respondents in H Prefecture had played sports for longer periods of time and were therefore more comfortable with sports activities. This questionnaire survey has revealed that sports activities provide physically challenged individuals with opportunities to share their problems and talk freely about things that worry them with others who suffer from similar afflictions.