Document Type
Article (Journal or Newsletter)
Scholarship Type
Faculty Scholarship
Publication Date
6-16-2026
Abstract
Introduction: Adolescent females discontinue sports at higher rates than males, which contributes to their lower overall physical activity during this important period of development. Potentially useful for understanding this disparity, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) provides a framework to study one's intentions through their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This study examined whether TPB constructs predict female adolescents’ intentions to continue participating in sports and remain physically active.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to collect data from 271 female adolescents who recently participated in organized sports. Structural equation modeling was used to test TPB's ability to predict participants’ intentions of continued sports participation and their intentions of regular exercise in one year.
Results: Structural equation models for both outcomes exhibited acceptable fit. Participants’ intention of participating in sports next year was predicted by attitudes (β = 0.84, p < 0.001) and subjective norms (β = 0.35, p = 0.005). Participants’ intentions of exercising next year were predicted by attitudes (β = 0.30, p = 0.009), subjective norms (β = 0.27, p = 0.009), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.28, p = 0.001). These findings support TPB as a useful framework for understanding female adolescents’ intentions and highlight the importance of enjoyment, parental support, and peer acceptance in sustaining sports participation and physical activity.
Discussion: Findings support TPB as a useful framework for understanding adolescent female athletes’ intentions of continued sports participation and future physical activity. Based on these findings, interventions to enhance continued girls’ sports participation should promote supportive, confidence-building environments, foster encouraging social interactions between teammates and peers, and reduce structural barriers related to access and cost. These approaches align with public health priorities and support pathways to lifelong engagement in sport and physical activity.
Additional Affiliated Department, Center or Institute
Health Sciences
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Hopkins, C. and Hopkins, C. S. (2026) Applying theory of planned behavior to examine adolescent female athletes’ intentions of continued sport participation. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, Article 1794861. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1794861
Comments
Open access publication of this article was supported by the Furman University Libraries Open Access Fund.