Youth sport programmes are often legitimized on their assumed contribution to continued sport involvement in adulthood. A longitudinal analysis was made of the sport involvement pattern of a sample (N = 236) of male subjects from 13 to 35 years of age, from a perspective of continued socialization into sport. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the continuation of sport participation from youth into adulthood is different according to the type of youth sport career. Tracking of sport participation patterns is moderate to high during youth, and low to moderate from youth to adulthood. Methodological issues are raised. It is concluded that youth sport programmes should be critically examined with regard to their contribution to continued sport participation in adulthood.
Anderson, D.F. , Lorzenz, F.O. and Pease, D.G. (1986) `Prediction of Present Participation from Children's Gender Past Participation, and Attitudes: A Longitudinal Analysis', Sociology of Sport Journal3: 101-111.
2.
Bandura, A. (1977), Social Learning Theory.New York: Prentice-Hall.
3.
Beunen, G. , Lefevre, J., Claessens, A.L., Lysens, R., Maes, H., Renson, R., Simons, J., Vanden Eynde, B., Vanreusel, B. and Van Den Bossche, C. (1992) `Age-Specific Correlation Analysis of Longitudinal Physical Fitness Levels in Men', European Journal of Applied Physiology64: 530-545.
4.
Blair, S.N. , Jacobs, D.R. and Powell, K.E. (1985) `Relationships between Exercise of Physical Activity and Other Health Behaviors', Public Health Reports100(2): 172-180.
5.
Bouchard, C. , Shephard, R.J., Stephens, T., Sutton, J.R. and McPherson, B.D. (eds) (1990) Exercise, Fitness and Health. A Consensus of Current Knowledge.Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.
6.
Bouchard, C. , Shephard, R.J. and Stephens, T. (eds) (1994). Physical Activity, Fitness and Health.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
7.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979), Ecology of Human Development.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
8.
Collins, M.F. (1991) `Sport for All in Government in the United Kingdom, with Some European Comparisons', in P. Oja and R. Telama (eds), Sport for All (proceedings of the 1990 World Congress on Sport for All). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
9.
Dishman, R.K. (1989) Exercise Adherence, its Impact on Public Health.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
10.
Engström, L.M. (1986) `The Process of Socialization into Keep-Fit Activities', Scandinavian Journal of Sports Sciences83: 89-97.
11.
Engström, L.M. (1991) `Exercise Adherence in Sport for All from Youth to Adulthood' in P. Oja and R. Telama (eds), Sport for All (proceedings of the 1990 World Congress on Sport for All), pp. 473-483. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
12.
Horna, J.L.A. (1987) `The Process of Choosing Leisure Activities and Preferences: A Stream Model', Loisir et société— society and leisure10(2): 219-234.
13.
Kamphorst, J.T. and Spruyt A.P. (1983) Vrijetijdsgedrag in het perspectief van de socialisatie (Leisure behavior in the perspective of socialization).Utrecht: University of Utrecht.
14.
Leon, A.S. , Connet, J., Jacobs, D.R. and Reiner, R. (1987) `Leisure Time Physical Activity Levels and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Death', Journal of the American Medical Association258(17): 2388-2395.
15.
Malina, R.M. (1996) `Tracking of Physical Activity and Physical Fitness Across the Lifespan', Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 67(3): 48-57.
16.
McPherson, B.D. (1986) `Socialization Theory and Research: Toward a “New Wave” of Scholarly Inquiry in a Sport Context', in C.R. Rees and A.W. Miracle (eds) Sport and Social Theory, pp. 111-134. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
17.
Nixon, H.L. (1990) `Rethinking Socialisation and Sport', Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 14(1): 33-47.
18.
Ostyn, M. , Simons, J., Beunen, G., Renson, R. and Van Gerven, D. (eds) (1980) Somatic and Motor Development of Belgian Secondary Schoolboys: Norms and Standards.Leuven: Leuven University Press.
19.
Palm, J. (1991) Sport for All: Approaches from Utopia to Reality (Sport Science Studies, 5, ICSSPE).Schorndorf: Hofmann.
20.
Renson, R. (1979) `The Dynamics of the Sports Socialization Process: Some Belgian Data', in Swedish Sport Federation (ed.) Final Report from the Seminar Sport for Young School Leavers (Stockholm-Bosön, 1978), pp. 21-33. Stockholm: Swedish Sports Federation.
21.
Scott, D. and Willits, F.K. (1989) `Adolescent and Adult Leisure Patterns: A 37-Year Follow-Up Study', Leisure Sciences11: 325-335.
22.
Snyder, E. and Spreitzer, E. (1978) `Lifelong Participation in Sport as Leisure', ch. 17 of Social Aspects of Sport.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
23.
Vanreusel, B. , Renson, R., Beunen, G., Claessens A., Lefevre J., Lysens, R., Mais, H., Simons, J., Vanden Eynde B. and Van den Bossche, C. (1991), `A Longitudinal Study of Socialization into Sport from Youth to Adulthood', paper presented at the symposium of the International Committee for the Sociology of Sport, Tallin (Estonia).
24.
Vanreusel, B. , Renson, R., Beunen, G., Claessens, A.L., Lefevre, J., Lysens, R., Maes, H., Simons J. and Vanden Eynde, B. (1993) `Adherence to Sport from Youth to Adulthood', in W. Duquet, P. De Knop and L. Bollaert (eds) Youth Sport, a Social Approach, pp. 99-109Brussels: VUBPress.
25.
Verhulst, A. (1990) `Lifetime sport in de lichamelijke opvoeding' (Lifetime Sport in Physical Education), licentiate thesis. Leuven: Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy.
26.
Yang, X. (1997) A Multidisciplinary Analysis of Physical Activity, Sport Participation and Dropping Out Among Young Finns, a 12-Year Follow-Up Study (Likes Research Reports on Sport and Health, 103), Jyväskylä: Likes-Research Center for Sport and Health Sciences.
27.
Yang, X. , Telama, R. and Laakso L. (1996) `Parent's Physical Activity, Socio-Economic Status and Education as Predictors of Physical Activity and Sport, among Children and Youths: A 12-Year Follow-Up Study', International Review for the Sociology of Sport31(3): 273-294.
