ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH06
Introduction:Previous researches has demonstrated that mega-sporting events are not merely arenas for athletic competition, but also a powerful platform for showing its soft power and the constructing national identity. However, less paid in-depth attention to domestic mega-events situated within specific geopolitical contexts. This study takes the 15th National Games—the first to be jointly hosted by the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao—as a case study to investigate the mechanisms through which mega-sporting events promote national identity among adolescents from Hong Kong and Macao. Methods:This study employs a quantitative research approach, targeting adolescents from Hong Kong and Macao aged 12 to 18. An integrated analytical framework is proposed based on the SOR model. Within this framework, the 15th National Games is conceptualized as an external "Stimulus" (S). The psychological and cognitive changes generated during their interaction with the event are regarded as the "Organism" (O) and sense of community (mediating variable) among the adolescents. Finally, the resultant change in the level of national identity is conceptualized as the "Response" (R)—national identity (dependent variable). The questionnaire consists of four core variables: event perception, national knowledge, sense of community, and national identity.A total of 563 valid questionnaires were ultimately collected. Results:The results revealed that event perception exerted the strongest positive influence on national knowledge (β = 0.70). Sense of community exhibited the second strongest positive influence on national identity (β = 0.63). The path coefficient from event perception to sense of community (β = 0.47) was positive and statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, national knowledge demonstrated a significant positive effect on sense of community (β = 0.44). Mediation analysis indicated that all three mediating pathways were significant, yielding a total indirect effect value of 0.686. Discussion: This study provides empirical evidence for the identity-building function of domestic mega-events within the unique context of China's cross-regional cooperation, revealing the "cognition-emotion-identity" transformation pathway among adolescents in Hong Kong and Macao. First, event perception most strongly predicts national knowledge underscores the symbolic power of mega-events as demonstrations of national capacity. Second, the identification of the "event perception → sense of community → national identity" pathway as the strongest mediating mechanism offers a crucial theoretical contribution. Third, the significant serial mediation pathway reveals a dynamic interplay between cognition and emotion.Fourth, the relatively balanced contribution of the two single-mediator pathways (cognitive vs. emotional) indicates that no single mechanism dominates exclusively.
Read CV Xiaoying CHENECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH06
INTRODUCTION: Lower-limb endurance and strength are core components of functional capacity in older adults and predict disability and mortality. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework proposes that early-life undernutrition may program long-term health, yet stage-specific evidence linking famine exposure to objective late-life functional fitness is limited. Using the 1959–1961 Chinese Great Famine as a natural experiment, we tested whether famine exposure during fetal life, infancy, or preschool years was associated with impaired lower-limb endurance and strength in adults aged 60–79 years, independent of adult lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. METHODS: Design/participants: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2025 China National Physical Fitness Surveillance (n=17,639; women n=8,841; 65.1±2.8 years). Birthdate-defined groups were fetal (Oct 1959–Sep 1961; n=3,811), infant (Jan–Dec 1958; n=2,578), preschool (Jan 1956–Dec 1957; n=5,236), and unexposed controls (Oct 1962–Sep 1964; n=6,014). Outcomes: (1) 2-min step test: “low endurance” = sex- and age-specific lowest quartile (≤25th percentile) based on Rikli & Jones[1]. (2) 30-s chair stand: relative power (W·kg⁻¹) estimated via the Alcazar equation; “low strength” defined by validated sex-specific cut-points (men ≤2.53; women ≤2.01 W·kg⁻¹). Analysis: Multivariable logistic regression estimated prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% CI adjusted for age, sex, BMI, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, education[2], and occupation; population attributable risk percent (ARP) was calculated. Sex and urban/rural stratified analyses were conducted (p<0.05). RESULTS: Unexposed participants had the lowest prevalence of low endurance (24.8%) and low strength (30.6%). After full adjustment, fetal exposure was associated with low endurance (POR=1.10, 95% CI 1.00–1.21; ARP=7.6%) but not low strength (POR=1.06, 0.97–1.16). Infant and preschool exposure were associated with higher risk of both outcomes (infant: POR=1.13 for endurance; 1.31 for strength; preschool: POR=1.12 and 1.29; all p<0.05), with ARP around 10% for endurance and ~17% for strength. Stratified analyses indicated stronger associations for strength among rural residents across exposure windows, and sex heterogeneity: in men, infant/preschool exposure related to low strength; in women, infancy exposure showed the strongest associations. CONCLUSION: Early-life famine exposure was independently associated with poorer lower-limb functional fitness decades later in a stage-specific pattern, highlighting infancy and preschool years as sensitive windows. Findings support DOHaD and suggest brief field tests may aid low-cost community screening and risk stratification in ageing and health-promotion settings. References 1. Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Senior fitness test manual. Champaign (IL): Human Kinetics; 2001. 2. Garcia-Aguirre M et al. Low relative sit-to-stand power and adverse outcomes in older adults. J Sport Health Sci. 2025.
Read CV Qi MengECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH06
Introduction Researchers have long been interested in understanding the influence of sport on youth development. However, much research has done so by identifying specific variables and investigating their impact on participants, which has hindered scholars’ ability to consider the youth sport context from a more holistic perspective. Using a Delphi methodology and scholars from six continents, Vella and colleagues (2025) identified 82 indicators of quality youth sport contexts. This approach aimed to qualify the dimensions of quality youth sport contexts. The identification of these indicators served as a springboard to the current study, which aimed to develop a tool capable of assessing the presence of the indicators across a range of youth sport contexts. Methods The 82 quality youth sport indicators were developed into items intended to measure the youth sport context. A total of 53 items were developed, with 34 being targeted at athlete perceptions through Likert-scale questions. The remaining 19 items, which are addressed by yes/no questions, are aimed at program administrators and were not part of the current analyses. A total of 667 Portuguese-speaking youth sport participants completed the 34 items. The participants were then randomly allocated to two independent samples. Exploratory structural equation modelling analyses were undertaken with the first sample to devise a preliminary factor structure. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis were used with the second sample to validate the factor structure. Reliability and validity tests were also performed on the proposed instrument. Results Exploratory and confirmatory analyses trimmed the 34 items into a 16-item tool measuring four factors (i.e., focus on enjoyment and positive experience, appropriate coach instruction, providing a safe climate, and long-term personal development) that showed good model fit χ2 (98) = 201.785.511, p < .001, χ2/df = 2.059, CFI = .945, TLI = .933, SRMR= .047, and RMSEA = .057 (90% confidence interval [CI] = .045, .068). Further, results demonstrated adequate validity and reliability across the measure. Discussion The results provide support for an athlete-focused Portuguese-language assessment tool of the quality youth sport indicators. It is recommended that the tool be used in conjunction to the program administrator items to gather a holistic understanding of the youth sport context. The intent is that this instrument will instigate further research on the indicators and lead to adaptations of the tool into different socio-cultural contexts. Vella, S., Pierce, S., Camiré, M., Newman, T.J., MacDonald, D.J., Milistetd, M., Strachan, L., & Santos, F. (2025). What is quality youth sport programming? A Delphi study of international scholar perspectives. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2025.2455171
Read CV Dany MacDonaldECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH06