Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families
Despite the many benefits of club-organized sports participation for children, studies have shown that sports participation is lower among children from low-income families than among children from middle- or high-income families. Adopting a socioecological perspective, the main aim of our study was...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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Series: | Children |
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/11/1746 |
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author | Lonneke van Leeuwen Anne Annink Kirsten Visser Marielle Jambroes |
author_facet | Lonneke van Leeuwen Anne Annink Kirsten Visser Marielle Jambroes |
author_sort | Lonneke van Leeuwen |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Despite the many benefits of club-organized sports participation for children, studies have shown that sports participation is lower among children from low-income families than among children from middle- or high-income families. Adopting a socioecological perspective, the main aim of our study was to identify and describe experiences of person–environment (PE) misfits in relation to parental facilitation of children’s sports participation. We conducted 24 interviews with parents from low-income families. PE misfits were found in multiple behaviors related to the facilitation of children’s sports participation: financing sports participation; planning and investing time; transporting children; acquiring, processing, and providing information; and arranging support. Across these PE misfits, influential attributes were found on the individual level (e.g., skills) as well as within the social, policy, physical, and information environment. In response to PE misfits experienced, parents deployed multiple strategies to reduce these PE misfits, aimed at enhancing either themselves (e.g., increasing financial capacities) or their environments (e.g., arranging social support). These results provide an insight into experienced PE misfits that took the form of multiple specific behaviors which parents found difficult while facilitating their children’s sports participation. Furthermore, the results provide insight into the environmental and individual attributes that were involved in these PE misfits, and into how parents modified themselves or their environments in order to make their environments more supportive. The study contributes to future research on individual and environmental influences on parental facilitation of their children’s sports participation, as well as on the development of multilevel interventions aimed at increasing sports participation among children from low-income families. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:24:06Z |
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id | doaj.art-079091eebad2496f9926fa49d78b6011 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2227-9067 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:24:06Z |
publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Children |
spelling | doaj.art-079091eebad2496f9926fa49d78b60112023-11-24T08:00:21ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672022-11-01911174610.3390/children9111746Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income FamiliesLonneke van Leeuwen0Anne Annink1Kirsten Visser2Marielle Jambroes3Public Health Department, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The NetherlandsUtrecht University School of Governance, Utrecht University, Bijlhouwerstraat 6, 3511 ZC Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The NetherlandsPublic Health Department, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The NetherlandsDespite the many benefits of club-organized sports participation for children, studies have shown that sports participation is lower among children from low-income families than among children from middle- or high-income families. Adopting a socioecological perspective, the main aim of our study was to identify and describe experiences of person–environment (PE) misfits in relation to parental facilitation of children’s sports participation. We conducted 24 interviews with parents from low-income families. PE misfits were found in multiple behaviors related to the facilitation of children’s sports participation: financing sports participation; planning and investing time; transporting children; acquiring, processing, and providing information; and arranging support. Across these PE misfits, influential attributes were found on the individual level (e.g., skills) as well as within the social, policy, physical, and information environment. In response to PE misfits experienced, parents deployed multiple strategies to reduce these PE misfits, aimed at enhancing either themselves (e.g., increasing financial capacities) or their environments (e.g., arranging social support). These results provide an insight into experienced PE misfits that took the form of multiple specific behaviors which parents found difficult while facilitating their children’s sports participation. Furthermore, the results provide insight into the environmental and individual attributes that were involved in these PE misfits, and into how parents modified themselves or their environments in order to make their environments more supportive. The study contributes to future research on individual and environmental influences on parental facilitation of their children’s sports participation, as well as on the development of multilevel interventions aimed at increasing sports participation among children from low-income families.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/11/1746club-organized sportschildrenlow-income familiesparentssocioecological modelperson–environment misfit |
spellingShingle | Lonneke van Leeuwen Anne Annink Kirsten Visser Marielle Jambroes Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families Children club-organized sports children low-income families parents socioecological model person–environment misfit |
title | Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families |
title_full | Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families |
title_fullStr | Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families |
title_full_unstemmed | Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families |
title_short | Facilitating Children’s Club-Organized Sports Participation: Person–Environment Misfits Experienced by Parents from Low-Income Families |
title_sort | facilitating children s club organized sports participation person environment misfits experienced by parents from low income families |
topic | club-organized sports children low-income families parents socioecological model person–environment misfit |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/11/1746 |
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