High School Sport Participation and Subsequent Psychological Well-Being and Physical Activity: The Mediating Influences of Body Image, Physical Competence, and Instrumentality

This study examined the relationship of high school sport participation to psychological well-being and physical activity involvement in college. First semester female undergraduates (n?=?260) at a large public university in the southern United States reported their high school sport participation and completed a series of questionnaires assessing their current body image, physical competence, instrumentality, psychological well-being, and physical activity levels. Body image, physical competence, and instrumentality mediated the relationships between high school sport involvement and college well-being and level of activity. This model accounted for 46% of the variance in college physical activity and 60% in psychological well-being, suggesting that these benefits accrue as a result of changes in how women view themselves and their bodies.