An Empirical Study on the Sports Lifestyle of the Masters Swimmers
Special Reference to the Effects of Past Sports Experience
1993 Volume 1 Pages 49-61
Details
1993 Volume 1 Pages 49-61
The purpose of this study is to empirically assess, and do a factor analysis of, the sports lifestyle of the masters swimmers. The AIO (Activties, Interests, and opinions) approach is used to analyze the sports lifestyle. A battery of 25 AIO statements, partly based upon past literature, was specifically developed for this study. The data for the study were collected from a total of 258 masters swimmers who participated in Tokai Masters Swimming Festival, in Mie Prefecture in September, 1991. In this study, a factor analysis was performed to identify the factor structure underlying the sports lifestyle of 193 subjects. The classification analyses based upon sports lifestyle factors were done by hierarchical cluster analysis.
The main results are as follws:
1. Eight sport lifestyle factors were identified and named: (1) sports effects, (2) community oriented, (3) sports models and sports fashions, (4) healthy lifestyle, (5) competitiveness, (6) personal interactions, (7) consumption patterns, and (8) experimentation in leisure activities.
2. The eight factors were grouped in four major clusters: (1) competitiveness-oriented cluster, (2) healthy- and leisure-oriented cluster, (3) personal-interaction oriented cluster, (4) community-oriented and sports leadership cluster.
3. The clusters were considerably affected by past sports experience in school sports clubs. However, lack of past sports experience also influenced the competitiveness-oriented cluster.
