Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between the presence or absence of involvement in sports for people with disabilities and the demographic factors of athletes and to examine the relationship between the interest in sports for people with disabilities and the demographic factors of athletes not involved in such sports. The participants were students from 2-year or 4-year colleges. They were athletes who participated in competitive sports and belonged to an athletic club. The items surveyed were the participant's demographic factors, involvement in sports for people with disabilities, and stages of behavior change related to involvement in sports for people with disabilities. Results showed that athletes who participated in individual sports and athletes with more years of experience in competitive sports were more likely to have been involved in sports for people with disabilities. Moreover, the upperclassmen or older athletes, regular or semi-regular players, and athletes with more years of experience in competitive sports were more likely to have an interest in being involved in sports for people with disabilities. Detailed studies should be conducted on college athletes, and approaches for such students should be implemented based on the findings in this study. Verf.-Referat