Determinants of new participation in sports groups among community-dwelling older adults: Analysis of a prospective cohort from The Otassha Study

Participation in sports groups has health benefits for older adults, such as preventing functional limitations and social isolation. Encouraging participation in sports groups may be an important means of health promotion in older adults. However, there is insufficient research on the determinants of new participation in sports groups to consider effective interventions to promote participation in these groups. We investigated this using data from a 1-year prospective study. Data were obtained from “The Otassha Study” that assessed a cohort of community-dwelling older adults living in an urban area of Japan. Of 769 older adults who participated in a baseline health survey in 2018, 557 participated in a follow-up survey in 2019. We excluded 184 individuals who already participated in sports groups at baseline and 36 with missing data. Participation in sports groups was defined as that occurring more than once a week. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of new participation in sports groups, with sociodemographic factors, lifestyle habits, physical functions, cognitive functions, psychological factors, and social factors as independent variables. Forty-one (12.2%) individuals participated in sports groups at follow-up. In the multiple adjusted logistic regression model, new participation in sports groups was significantly associated with female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 5.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61‒19.26), engagement in regular exercise (OR = 2.23, 95%CI: 1.03‒4.84), and having a large social network (OR = 1.12, 95%CI: 1.04‒1.20). Physical functions were not associated with new participation. Determinants of new participation were lifestyle habits and social factors, rather than physical functions. Intervention through social networks may be effective in encouraging new participation in sports groups, which, in turn, may facilitate healthy aging.