BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Involvement in sports is considered a powerful way to generate social capital. However, the role of sport engagement in the development of social relationships of older adults has not received much attention. Remarkably, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the quality and diversity of social relations built through active sport participation and spectatorship. This paper attempts to assess the relationship between sport engagement and various measures of network social capital, including the extension and quality of social networks and the heterogeneity of personal relationships. Also, it proposes new and more informative measurements of an individual's quantity and quality of social ties. By analysing data from a survey in Spain (N = 600) and applying logistic regressions, the results show that sport participation and attendance at sporting events are closely related to different dimensions of network social capital. Concerning people who are not actively engaged in sports, more extensive social networks characterise those who frequently attend sporting events. In contrast, active sport participation is associated with the extensity and quality measures of social connectedness, the level of satisfaction with friends and the opportunity to enjoy close relationships. Therefore, this paper provides new evidence on how sport engagement may result in tighter and extensive networks for older adults and serve as support for emphasising sports, physical activity and leisure as strategies for maintaining and boosting older people's social and psychological health., This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spain (JMS-S and PR, grant number CSO2017-86178-R); and the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain (FL-L, grant number PID2020-115018RB-C31). Open access funding was provided by the Public University of Navarra.

The study of the physical activity engagement (PA) has given rise to a relevant research agenda in a
wide range of fields, such as its close relationship with subjective well-being, self-perceived health
and social capital. Previous evidence has identified interrelationships among these variables, but
without considering different levels of physical activity. We have thus considered three levels of
activity: light (walking), moderate and vigorous. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is
undertaken on data from Spain’s National Health Survey in 2011–2012 to analyse these
interrelationships. The SEM shows a simultaneous and bidirectional relationship between
different levels of PA (moderate and vigorous activities) and happiness, with a more robust
association stemming from happiness to PA than vice versa. This relationship is mediated
through health. From a policy perspective, this implies a virtuous circle: involvement in different
levels of PA increases happiness and self-perceived health, while happiness involves higher PA
and subsequent positive increases in health and happiness. Nevertheless, this virtuous circle
does not always run successfully when social capital is considered to mediate the relationship
between PA and happiness, which might explain why it has proven to be very difficult for
health policymakers to fight against inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle within a great part of the
population., This work was supported by Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [grant number: Project CSO2017-86178-R]; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [grant number: Project PID2020-115018RB-C32 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50)] Open access funding provided by Universidad Pública de Navarra.