The promotion of sport leisure styles across life-span: contributions from the study of youth sport leisure itineraries

Conference main theme Quality of Life in physical education, health and well-being or Social justice in sport development

Inspired by the humanistic theory of leisure (Cuenca, 2000, 2006, 2010), this paper presents the results of an investigation that studies youth sports leisure itineraries, trying to clarify the factors involved in the generation of sustainable sport leisure styles, contributing to the evolution of the sports action in a factor of personal development and quality of life. Recent studies about sport dropout in contemporary societies, advertised a growing weakening of these practices, even during childhood and youth. Aware of the importance of this fact and its implications, the reconstruction of sport leisure experiences of a sample of 383 youths of Bizkaia (Spain) between 1995 and 2005, the identification of their sport itineraries and psychosocial factors that encourage their sport participation and continuity are the empirical corpus of this study.
The results show that sport has a special place in the repertoire of leisure of Basque youth from early childhood (before age 10 years), being regular dedication to this field the more widespread way to do sport. Different change itineraries of their sport activities are represented through 8 itineraries. The age of onset of the sporting life, the nature of perceived barriers, gender, family and friendships are factors that can promote regular dedication to the sport, and therefore, the sport habit. The fun derived from the sport activity, essential during sport initiation, turns out to be necessary but not sufficient to ensure the continuity of sports stories. On the contrary, concentration on the activity, the pursuit of complex goals beyond entertainment, the perception of investment associated with long periods of practice, the sense of competence and autonomy of friendships to take decisions about the persistence of sport behavior emerge as major determinants of adherence to sports.
These results confirm that different patterns of change exist in relation to leisure sport participation, modulated by psychosocial factors which impact on decisions about continuing or abandoning sports, has been proven. No doubt, the knowledge of these patterns will help to predict the future of the itineraries and the interventions of stakeholders to promote leisure sport styles and their continuity across life span in contemporary societies.

References
Cuenca, M. (1995). Aproximación al turismo desde los Estudios de Ocio. En Escuela de Turismo (ed.). Turismo y tiempo libre. Actividades, métodos y organización (pp. 53-64). Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto
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Cuenca, M. (coord.) (2006). Aproximación multidisciplinar a los Estudios de Ocio. Documentos de Estudios de Ocio, 31. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto.

Dr. María Jesús Monteagudo has a degree in Psychology and got her PhD in Leisure and Human Development at the University of Deusto (Bilbao, Spain) in 2011. She is member of Leisure Studies Institute of this University from 1992 and researchs actively as part of the interdisciplinary research team of this Institute. She studies leisure from a psychosociological point of view and the phenomenon of sport, as leisure experience. She has developed the construct of leisure itineraries in the context of leisure and leisure sport, leisure benefits and leisure constraints. She has presented the advances of this research line in several scientific meetings and has contributed papers to journals such as Revista Interuniversitaria de Educación Social, ADOZ. Revista de Estudios de Ocio, Revista de Ciencias de la Educación and has been co-editor of several monographs about leisure experience and sport and human development. She is member of the Asociación Española de Investigación Social Aplicada al Deporte (AEISAD), OcioGune. Spanish Network of Leisure Studies Research Teams about Leisure and Human Development and of OTIUM. Latin American Leisure Studies Association.

Monteagudo, M.J. (2008). Reconstruyendo la experiencia de ocio: características, condiciones de posibilidad y amenazas en la sociedad de consumo. En M.J.
Monteagudo (ed.) La experiencia de ocio: una mirada científica desde los Estudios de Ocio (pp. 81-110). Documentos de Estudios de Ocio, 35. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto.
Monteagudo, M.J. (2011). Los itinerarios de ocio deportivo. Estudio de los jóvenes de Bizkaia (1995-2005). Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto. Tesis Doctoral.