The STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABEŞ-BOLYAI issue article summary

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Sport participation is a main pursuit for health prevention programs and research. As such, it is imperative to understand how and under what conditions youth engagement in physical exercise promotes or interferes with development and ageing. A common theme emerging from a variety of theoretical approaches to the problem of exercise adherence concerns the role of individuals’ reasons for exercising (participation motives) and the value of social support for athletes in individual sports or in team sports. This research compared social support and motivation of persons who regularly engage in various forms of physical exercise and sport with those of a group of martial arts practitioners. Participants were college students or graduates. We examined the types of social support that may act as predictors for exercise adherence and the motivation in the domains of exercise and sport. In general, the results did not differ significantly between martial arts and other sports participants. The highest rated motives for sport/exercise participation were strength and endurance, enjoyment, challenge, appearance and health-related motives (positive health). Women rated weight management and appearance higher than did men, and men reported higher levels of motivation than did women for strength, endurance and enjoyment. The most important resources of support were peer (friends and colleagues) support and parental support (father’s role was more important). In combination, the perspectives and findings provided in these articles can help guide future research and the development of programs and interventions.

Keywords: Physical activity; Martial arts; Youth; Social support; Motivation.