Participatory sport consumption as capability building in later life: a framework for competence, connectedness, and active ageing.
- 1School of Journalism and Communication, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China.
- 2Sports Social Science Research Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China.
- 3School of Physical Education, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract
This paper develops the concept of participatory sport consumption in later life, referring to older adults' acquisition, access, use, and combination of sport-related resources that support their own participation in sport and exercise. Drawing on the Capability Approach, the paper distinguishes resource availability from the substantive opportunities older adults are able to exercise and value. The proposed framework identifies personal, socioeconomic and relational, and environmental and service conditions as determinants of resource convertibility. Mastery, agency, and relational-identity conversion are specified as capability-building processes, with competence and connectedness as proximal manifestations and later-life functionings as possible outcomes. The framework also incorporates capability failure, recognising that access or participation may coexist with restricted opportunity. It provides a basis for examining how sport-related resources contribute to capability expansion and inequality in later-life participation.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026participatory,
title = {{Participatory sport consumption as capability building in later life: a framework for competence, connectedness, and active ageing.}},
author = {Zhe Zhang and Zhi Jie Lai and Xiaohong Wan},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1913428},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996346},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Participatory sport consumption as capability building in later life: a framework for competence, connectedness, and active ageing.
AU - Zhe Zhang
AU - Zhi Jie Lai
AU - Xiaohong Wan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1913428
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996346
AB - This paper develops the concept of participatory sport consumption in later life, referring to older adults' acquisition, access, use, and combination of sport-related resources that support their own participation in sport and exercise. Drawing on the Capability Approach, the paper distinguishes resource availability from the substantive opportunities older adults are able to exercise and value. The proposed framework identifies personal, socioeconomic and relational, and environmental and service conditions as determinants of resource convertibility. Mastery, agency, and relational-identity conversion are specified as capability-building processes, with competence and connectedness as proximal manifestations and later-life functionings as possible outcomes. The framework also incorporates capability failure, recognising that access or participation may coexist with restricted opportunity. It provides a basis for examining how sport-related resources contribute to capability expansion and inequality in later-life participation.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -