Enjoyment and Behavioral Intention Predict Organized Youth Sport Participation and Dropout.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective observational cohort follow-up study
PubMed 28682655 · doi:10.1123/jpah.2016-0572
What was done
A prospective cohort of 327 regular youth sport participants (mean age 13.01 years at baseline) completed questionnaires evaluating enjoyment, intentions to continue, and covariates (age, sex, competition level, perceived competence, parental support, coach-athlete relationship, friendship quality, and peer acceptance). Sport status was reassessed at 1-year follow-up, and hierarchical logistic regression was used to estimate predictors of dropout.
What was found
At 1 year, 247 individuals (75.5%) continued in their main sport and 26 individuals (8%) dropped out. Step 1 regression showed significant associations for age, parental support, coach-athlete relationship quality, and peer acceptance. In Step 2, both enjoyment and intentions to continue were inversely associated with dropout, while peer acceptance remained the only significant covariate. Numerical effect sizes (odds ratios, confidence intervals, p-values) were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
It prospective links intrinsic factors—specifically enjoyment and behavioral intentions—to sustained youth athletic participation, highlighting targets for dropout prevention.
Limits
The dropout group had very few events (n = 26) relative to the number of covariates analyzed. Approximately 16.5% of the baseline cohort was unaccounted for at follow-up, and specific effect sizes, confidence intervals, and sport types were omitted from the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Most kids drop out of organized sports by age 13.