Exploratory mixed methods investigation of time commitment in youth sport and physical activity: families’ experiences and satisfaction during the pandemic, and intentions for post-pandemic engagement

Georgia Teare*, Marijke Taks

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose/rationale: The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed families’ time commitments for youth sport and physical activity (SPA). Guided by Social Ecology Theory, experiences and associated levels of satisfaction with these changes are explored, as well as intentions for post-pandemic engagement.

Design/methodology/approach: Interviews with families (n = 14) informed the creation of a questionnaire that was distributed to 550 Ontarian families.

Findings: Parents were satisfied with lower time commitment of youth SPA during the pandemic and would have liked to engage in less travel for youth SPA and fewer organized activities post-pandemic. However, families largely intended on increasing or reverting to their travel time for and diversity of activities post-pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic, suggesting that parents intend to support their children’s SPA preferences, regardless of their own.

Practical implications: Given that parents intend to support their children’s SPA commitment preferences, tactics to ease the time demands on parents can be developed to provide greater value propositions for families.

Research contribution: Two main consumer groups of youth SPA (i.e. parents and youth) can have differing preferences for their experiences.

Originality/value: This study revealed conflicting experiences and preferences of two distinct consumer groups for youth SPA.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-18
Number of pages18
JournalManaging Sport and Leisure
Early online date3 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 3 Oct 2024

Keywords

  • Families
  • parents
  • schedule
  • social ecology
  • travel

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