ISSN : 1598-2939
Many people perceive physical activity solely as structured exercise, overlooking the benefits of daily activities like walking for transportation. This study explores office workers' perceptions of physical activity and evaluates an intervention aimed at broadening their understanding to include non-leisure contexts, thereby laying a foundation for future health promotion programs. In the first study, 20 office workers (12 males, 8 females; Mage = 35.4) participated in in-depth interviews, revealing that most perceived physical activity exclusively as leisure and failed to distinguish it from exercise. The second study involved 30 office workers randomly assigned to an experimental group (9 males, 6 females, Mage = 32.8) or a control group (5 males, 10 females, Mage = 29.6). The experimental group received an intervention designed to enhance awareness of physical activity across four domains. After the intervention, participants in the experimental group reported increased perceived benefits and decreased perceived barriers to physical activity. Both groups showed improvements in physical activity levels, but the effect size was larger in the experimental group (Cohen’s d = 0.62) than in the control group (Cohen’s d = 0.34), suggesting that improved awareness contributed to greater behavioral change. These findings underscore the importance of broadening perceptions of physical activity to promote engagement and actual activity levels, and they support the development of targeted intervention strategies to foster healthier lifestyles.
The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of stepping-in-place tempo on the impact force of roundhouse kicks and to determine whether the impact force varied according to different types of roundhouse kicks: front leg body (FLB), front leg head (FLH), rear leg body (RLB), and rear leg head (RLH). Fifteen Taekwondo experts performed four types of roundhouse kicks at five different stepping-in-place tempos: 100, 120, 140, 160, and 180 beats per minute (bpm). Each participant performed 60 kicks to both body and head targets in a randomized order. The impact force data were analyzed using a 4 (kick type) × 5 (tempo) repeated measures ANOVA. The estimated impact force was significantly greater at 140 bpm compared to 100 bpm. In terms of kick types, FLB and RLB produced stronger impact forces than FLH, and RLB was stronger than RLH. Additionally, a significant interaction effect was found between kick type and tempo. These findings suggest that there is an optimal stepping-in-place tempo, particularly around 140 bpm, for maximizing impact force, and that body kicks consistently generate more force than head kicks across all tempos. This study offers valuable insights for optimizing Taekwondo techniques related to power output and has practical implications for both coaches and athletes in developing effective match strategies.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) on golf swing kinematic sequence. RNT aims to promote effective dynamic stability and movement, reduce reliance on verbal and visual instruction, and encourage self-response to external stimuli such as forces applied via elastic bands. Since the golf swing is a complex motor skill requiring coordinated movement across multiple body segments—referred to as the kinematic sequence—RNT was applied to amateur golfers who typically sway their body or head during swings. The intervention used an inertial overloading technique, where a 5 kg clubbell created external perturbation during swing movements. Twenty-four male amateur golfers were randomly assigned to either an RNT group or a control group. A FlightScope Kudu ball tracking system and K-vest 3D motion analysis system were used to measure outcomes during 7-iron full swings. Dependent variables included carry distance, maximum angular velocity (pelvis, thorax, wrist), and deceleration timing of the same segments. The RNT group showed superior performance in carry distance and had significantly higher maximum angular velocities in the pelvis and wrist. Additionally, the deceleration timing of the pelvis and thorax shifted earlier toward the mid-downswing phase in the RNT group. These findings confirm that RNT has a beneficial motor learning effect on golf swing kinematic sequencing and performance, particularly in improving distance and segmental coordination.
As media multitasking becomes increasingly prevalent, sports TV broadcasts—one of the primary exposure channels for sponsorship—are also influenced. This study investigates the impact of multitasking, particularly involuntary multitasking such as push notifications, on sponsorship effects. Grounded in communication theories, the research employed neuromarketing techniques using EEG measurements. An EEG-based experiment was conducted with a simulated 10-minute and 15-second sports TV broadcast as the primary media content accompanied by multitasking stimuli. Participants were randomly assigned to high multitasking, low multitasking, or control groups. EEG indicators, including total occipital alpha (TOA) and left prefrontal dominance (LFPD), were analyzed alongside self-reported survey data. Results showed that multitasking increased TOA, indicating cognitive avoidance, and reduced LFPD, which is associated with negative emotions such as annoyance, ultimately leading to lower sponsorship effects. In contrast, lower TOA and higher LFPD were linked to improved brand recall, brand attitude, and purchase intention. Despite limitations such as a relatively small sample size and the use of a real-world brand (Nike), the findings validate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral mechanisms underlying sponsorship effectiveness. The study underscores the importance for sports organizations and sponsors to mitigate the adverse effects of multitasking or develop adaptive activation strategies. It also highlights the value of integrating neuromarketing tools like EEG into sponsorship evaluation, offering novel insights into shifting media consumption behaviors.
Sporting events have a significant social and economic impact on the host community. The purpose of this study was to assess the economic impact of the Chuncheon Marathon in Korea using input-output analysis. Big data on card transactions were collected by designating the area around the gathering place and the marathon finish line for each event day. A total of 1,983,722 card transaction cases were analyzed. The data showed that the card transaction amount increased by 1.6 billion KRW in 2017 compared to 2016, but decreased by 1.4 billion KRW in 2018 compared to 2017. The national input-output table published in 2015 by the Bank of Korea was used to calculate the event’s economic impact for the years 2016 through 2018. The findings revealed spending patterns during the event period and demonstrated the measurable economic influence of the marathon based on transaction data. Practical implications include the potential benefits of organizing marathon events across multiple dates and crafting marketing strategies that focus on engaging local participants to stimulate greater revenues in the food, beverage, and lodging sectors.
This study aims to identify the adverse effects of undesirable sports sponsorships by specifying and empirically testing the impact of the main sponsor’s attribute type—categorized as original, undesirable, or pro-social—on consumers’ perceptions of the sports team and their purchase intentions for the team jersey. It also examines the moderating roles of fan identification (high vs. low) and value congruence (high vs. low) between consumers and the sponsor. Based on a sample of 185 undergraduate students from the Republic of Korea, the findings reveal that the sponsor's attribute type significantly affects participants’ attitudes toward the team and their purchase intentions. Specifically, attitudes toward the team were highest for original sponsors (M = 4.672), followed by pro-social (M = 3.325), and lowest for undesirable sponsors (M = 2.015), with a significant effect (F = 73.491, p = .000). Similarly, purchase intentions for the jersey were highest for original sponsors (M = 3.471), moderate for pro-social (M = 2.786), and lowest for undesirable sponsors (M = 1.918), also showing a significant effect (F = 16.100, p = .000). Fan identification moderated the effect of sponsor attributes on both attitudes (F = 4.571, p = .011) and purchase intentions (F = 8.454, p = .000), while value congruence moderated only the impact on team attitudes (F = 6.132, p = .002), not on purchase intentions (F = .344, p = .853). These results suggest that the nature of sponsorship and alignment with fan values can critically influence consumer behavior and brand association. The study offers valuable insights for practitioners involved in sports sponsorship communication and lays the groundwork for future academic exploration in this area.
This study aimed to investigate the region-specific effects of weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing exercise on Schwann cell transcriptional activity and functional recovery following sciatic nerve injury. Five-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: normal control (CONT), sedentary after injury (SED), treadmill exercise (TEX), and swimming exercise (SWIM). All groups except CONT underwent sciatic nerve crush injury, with TEX and SWIM groups receiving daily exercise interventions and SED remaining inactive. Sox10 and Krox20 expression levels were analyzed in proximal, injury, and distal (P-I-D) nerve segments at 3 and 21 days post-crush using qualitative and quantitative Western blot analysis. Functional recovery was evaluated using forelimb grip strength and the sciatic functional index (SFI). At 3 days post-crush, Sox10 expression in the distal segment was significantly higher in TEX and SWIM groups compared to SED, with TEX exceeding SWIM. At 21 days, Sox10 expression remained elevated in TEX compared to both SED and SWIM. Krox20 expression followed a similar pattern at 3 days, with higher levels in TEX and SWIM than SED, and TEX again showing greater expression than SWIM; however, these differences disappeared by day 21. Functionally, the TEX group demonstrated significantly greater grip strength and improved SFI at 21 days post-injury. The CONT group maintained baseline values throughout the experiment. These findings suggest that early moderate-intensity treadmill exercise enhances Schwann cell-mediated nerve regeneration through region-specific transcriptional activation and supports more effective functional recovery than non-weight-bearing exercise.
This study examined the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in the relationship between perceived parental support and the intention to continue sport among Korean university football players. Using a sample of male university athletes registered with the Korea Football Association, structural equation modeling was applied to test a mediation model grounded in self-determination theory. Participants completed questionnaires measuring parental support, intrinsic motivation, and intention to continue sport, using 7-point Likert scales. The results showed that parental support did not have a significant direct effect on sport continuation intention, but it had a significant positive effect on intrinsic motivation. In turn, intrinsic motivation strongly predicted the intention to continue sport. Mediation analysis confirmed that intrinsic motivation fully mediated the relationship between parental support and sport continuation intention, indicating that parental support influences athletes' long-term engagement exclusively through the enhancement of intrinsic motivation. The proposed model showed strong predictive validity and accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in sport continuation intention. These findings highlight that fostering intrinsic motivation is essential for sustaining athletic commitment and that parental influence operates primarily through motivational pathways. This study contributes to the sport psychology literature by empirically demonstrating the psychological mechanisms behind athletic persistence in a university context and suggests practical strategies for designing interventions that support sustained sport participation among collegiate athletes.
