FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO LEISURE TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATION AMONG UNDERGRADUATE MALE STUDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Sports play a crucial role in societies, particularly among university students, in which it can bring many benefits: mental and physical health levels and academic performance. Moreover, university students' leisure-time physical activities (LTPA) are mainly associated with academic performance and well-being. This quantitative study (N=643 Saudi universities male students) with the purpose of testing the proposed hypotheses aimed to investigate the level of LTPA among (KSA) university male students; secondly, to determine the factors influencing LTPA among (KSA) university male students; and thirdly, to develop a model of LTPA among (KSA) university male students. Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling partial least square (SEM-PLS). The results indicated that the financial support, programs, policies, sports facilities, and tools had high importance in sports participation. Programs support has the highest importance value towards sports participation (importance=0.474, performance=48.902); followed by sports facilities (importance=0.301, performance=46.308). However, financial support and tools support revealed lows value on importance at 0.198 and 0.1 respectively; whereas high values on performance at 57.634 and 45.808 respectively; and the total effect of policies was 0.092, and the performance was 49.177. Human resources and society culture on the other hand showed low importance towards sports participation at -0.164 and -0.068 respectively. This is because human resources and society culture might be ignored as factors in Saudi Arabia universities. Findings revealed that all the hypotheses have a significant positive influence on sport participation. The results contribute to education and sports research by offering a comprehensive research model that explains 54% of sports activities participation variance from the seven potential factors, which have been identified utilizing advanced important performance map analysis techniques. These findings will help Saudi universities management and policymakers in providing suitable and innovative sport programs that suit the male students’ needs. The main contribution of this study—the first attempt in the KSA—is providing a research model of LTPA among (KSA) university male students. It is recommended that further investigation on other factors that might influence LTPA among Saudi Arabia students should also be conducted