Nippon Sport Science University and the Meiji Yasuda Welfare Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, announced the results of a joint study on exercise and sports activities among adolescents.
In Japan, school athletic clubs play an important role as a place to practice sports, but the problem of ``early withdrawal,'' or quitting the club, has been pointed out, where students quit participating midway through the club.Although factors related to early withdrawal are being actively considered in Western countries, there is not enough knowledge from within Japan.Therefore, we conducted a 331 year and 2 month follow-up survey of 5 male high school students in Japan to examine the factors associated with early withdrawal from athletic clubs.
The results showed that characteristics such as low weight and BMI, no history of injury or disability (such as sports injuries), low or no competitive performance, and short duration of competition were associated with early withdrawal.It is noteworthy that many factors were cited that are thought to have a strong connection to the level of competition, and it may be that a low level of competition makes it easier for people to experience a wavering desire to continue their activities.Based on this, in athletic club activities where students of various competitive levels participate, it is important to create an atmosphere that emphasizes the demonstration and improvement of each member's skills, rather than comparisons between members, in order to prevent early withdrawal. considered to be important.
Because Japan's athletic clubs have a unique culture, the factors associated with early withdrawal may be different from those in other countries.The findings from this study demonstrate the importance of understanding that there are characteristics of students who are more likely to drop out, and taking preventative measures and support after leaving the club.Additionally, since the target school of this study was a school that excels in sports, future studies will need to be conducted to determine whether this finding applies to other schools and athletic clubs.
