Kawaguchi Kenjiro, Ide Kazushige, Kanamori Satoru, Tsuji Taishi, Kondo Katsunori
Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 9;20(4):e0320213. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320213. eCollection 2025.
While watching sports may enhance older adults' happiness, the relationship between sports spectatorship and happiness may vary depending on on-site or TV/Internet. This study examined associations between different forms of sports spectatorship (on-site and TV/Internet) and happiness among older adults in Japan.
We used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, conducted in 2019 and 2022. The outcome variable was happiness, and the explanatory variables were watching sports on-site, watching professional sports on-site, and watching sports on TV/Internet. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine the association between watching sports and happiness, after adjusting for potential confounders. A modified Poisson regression analysis was performed for the binarized outcome with a cutoff of 8 points. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on sports club participation, age, and sex.
Watching sports on-site a few times annually was associated with higher happiness scores (B: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.19) and a higher prevalence of happiness (PR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.12) than not watching sports. Similar results were observed when the participants watched professional sports a few times annually (B: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.22; PR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.12). No significant associations were found between watching sports on TV/Internet and happiness. The associations were more pronounced among participants who did not participate in sports clubs, males, and those aged < 75 years.
Watching sports on-site, particularly a few times a year, was associated with higher happiness levels among older adults. These findings highlight the importance of developing targeted interventions that promote older adults' access to live sports events as a public health strategy.
观看体育赛事可能会提升老年人的幸福感，但体育赛事观赛与幸福感之间的关系可能因现场观赛或通过电视/互联网观赛而有所不同。本研究调查了日本老年人中不同形式的体育赛事观赛（现场观赛和通过电视/互联网观赛）与幸福感之间的关联。
我们使用了2019年和2022年进行的日本老年学评估研究的数据。结果变量为幸福感，解释变量为现场观看体育赛事、现场观看职业体育赛事以及通过电视/互联网观看体育赛事。在调整潜在混杂因素后，进行多元线性回归以研究观看体育赛事与幸福感之间的关联。对二元化结果进行修正泊松回归分析，截断值为8分。基于体育俱乐部参与情况、年龄和性别进行亚组分析。
与不观看体育赛事相比，每年现场观看几次体育赛事与更高的幸福感得分（B：0.11，95%置信区间：0.03至0.19）以及更高的幸福发生率（PR：1.07，95%置信区间：1.03至1.12）相关。当参与者每年现场观看几次职业体育赛事时，观察到类似结果（B：0.12，95%置信区间：0.02至0.22；PR：1.06，95%置信区间：1.01至1.12）。未发现通过电视/互联网观看体育赛事与幸福感之间存在显著关联。这些关联在未参加体育俱乐部的参与者、男性以及年龄<75岁的人群中更为明显。
现场观看体育赛事，尤其是每年几次，与老年人更高的幸福感水平相关。这些发现凸显了制定有针对性的干预措施以促进老年人参与现场体育赛事作为一项公共卫生策略的重要性。
