Sports-related leisure behavior in Alpine regions during the COVID-19 pandemic-A cross-sectional study in Austria, Germany and Italy

Introduction

As a planetary health challenge, COVID-19 forced governments around the world to take action to prevent the most severe consequences resulting from the spread of the virus. These measures ranged from stay-at-home orders to limitations on indoor and outdoor activities, travel restrictions and the cancelation of sports events, all of which affected people's leisure activities and daily lives. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine changes in sports-related leisure behavior in terms of attending major sports events, following major sports events via media, travel intentions and the use of new sports offerings. Furthermore, we aimed to identify variables associated with changed sports-related leisure behavior during the pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey (n = 1,809) was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 in the Alpine regions of Austria, Germany and Italy. Sports-related leisure behavior was investigated for changes during the pandemic compared to the time before the coronavirus outbreak and for differences between the three countries.

Results

Results showed that the self-reported importance of attending major sports events decreased significantly in the Alpine regions of all three countries during COVID-19. Prevailing restrictions affected vacation planning for over 80% of participants. A majority of approximately three quarters of respondents stated they had spent their holidays at home during the travel restrictions. Sports facilities and opportunities played an important role in the choice of vacation destination for more than half of participants. A binary logistic regression showed significant correlations between vacation planning during COVID-19 and the variables gender, income, quality of life and mental health. 31.9% of all respondents tried new sports offerings during extended restrictions, with a large proportion (72.4%) using apps, online tools or courses. Furthermore, approximately 30% of respondents increased their e-sports consumption.

Discussion

The results showed that sports-related leisure behavior in Alpine regions changed in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, policymakers as well as sports and leisure providers should react to these behavioral changes and adapt their portfolio and services to meet consumers92 demands.

Effects of Social Capital and Leisure Participation on Self-Rated Health of Urban Residents in Southwest China

Background: Leisure provides opportunities for urban and rural residents to relax, recover their vitality, and improve their personal growth, development, and well-being. However, the impact of the leisure participation process, types, obstacles, participation motivation, and satisfaction on health is not very clear, especially the impact of leisure behavior on health, and is worthy of in-depth discussion.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the impact of social capital and leisure participation on the self-rated health of urban residents in China so as to provide an important reference for national health promotion activities.

Methods: the questionnaire on the relationship between social capital, leisure behavior, and self-rated health was compiled by ourselves. The residents participating in leisure and fitness in 25 residential fitness centers in Chengdu were investigated in the morning and evening, and the obtained data were processed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results: (1) Social capital had no direct influence on leisure hindrance; leisure motivation and leisure participation had no direct influence on self-rated health. (2) Leisure satisfaction has a direct positive impact on self-rated health, while leisure hindrance has a significant negative impact on self-rated health. (3) Social capital has a direct positive impact on leisure satisfaction, and social capital has a direct positive impact on self-rated health. Leisure satisfaction plays an intermediary role in the path of social capital affecting self-rated health, and the intermediary force exceeds the direct impact of social capital on self-rated health.

Conclusion: The effect of leisure satisfaction on self-rated health is higher than that of social capital, and it plays an intermediary role in the impact path of social capital on self-rated health. Therefore, how to make urban community residents with different backgrounds obtain leisure satisfaction through leisure activities is an important topic of national health promotion.