Does becoming a parent reduce sports participation? A longitudinal study of short- and long-term effects.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Parenthood can have a negative effect on sport behaviour despite the known health benefits of participation in sports. Recent studies have shown that becoming a parent is related to a reduction in exercise. However, this relationship is less clear for men than women. In addition, most studies only focused on short-term effects. Therefore, it is unknown whether these effects remain prevalent one year after becoming a parent.

Method

Using twelve data waves of the Dutch Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel, we examined the influence of becoming a parent on sport behaviour in the short- (<1 year) and long-term (>1 year). Given the known differences between men and women, we also examined possible gender differences in this change. Multi

SUBMITTER: Bekhuis H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11865059 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature