Relationships between General Health, Sport Participation Motives, Physical Activity, and Happiness among Women in Isfahan City, Iran

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors
Sahar Faeghi 1
Setareh Dineli 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 PhD, School of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
10.48305/jrrs.2026.46938.1169
Abstract
Introduction: Physical inactivity among women is a multifactorial phenomenon in which general health status, motives for sport participation, and experience of positive outcomes from physical activity may contribute to the formation of happiness. The present study aimed to examine a structural model of the relationships between general health, sport participation motives, physical activity, and happiness among women in Isfahan City, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study, 395 women aged 15–65 years were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the 30-item Participation Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ), the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), a modified 29-item version of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), and two self-reported indicators of physical activity: weekly session frequency and duration. Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS software. The measurement model was evaluated by assessing reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Subsequently, the structural model was evaluated using path coefficients, R², f², and effect sizes.
Results: Higher scores on general health problems were associated with lower sport participation motives (β = −0.177, P = 0.001). Sport participation motives were positively associated with physical activity (β = 0.474, P = 0.001), which in turn was positively associated with happiness (β = 0.290, P = 0.001). The serial indirect association between general health and happiness, mediated by sport participation motives and physical activity, was statistically significant but small (β = −0.024, P = 0.007). The model explained 3.1%, 2.5%, and 8.4% of the variance in sport participation motives, physical activity, and happiness, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings supported a modest structural chain linking general health problems, sport participation motives, physical activity, and happiness, with the strongest association observed between participation motives and physical activity. Programs aimed at promoting physical activity in women may benefit from addressing health-related constraints while fostering meaningful and enjoyable motives for participation. Given the cross-sectional design of this study, results indicate statistical associations and should not be interpreted causally.
Keywords
General health
Sport participation motives
Physical activity
Happiness
Women
Structural equation modeling
Subjects
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Journal of Research in Rehabilitation Sciences
Volume 19, Issue 1
April 2023
Pages 154-161