Multiple correspondence analysis on intensity of elderly sports participation in China

The background of aging has increased the demand of adaptability on elderly sports. In order to response to the aging society and achieve sports' health function for elderly participants, this research aim to clarify the elderly sport participants' characters and their potential influencing factors. Caused by too many variables in CHARLS, its cross-sectional nature precludes causal inference. The approach is purely exploratory. We obtained cases of 4982 elderly sports participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). They were divided into 3 clusters by cluster analysis, based on intensity of participation, and then figured out their potential influence by multiple correspondence analysis. Cluster 1 (47%) includes low-intensity participants. They only participate in mild exercise with low frequency. Cluster 2(32%) is non-high-intensity participants. They are deeply involved in moderate and low-intensity exercises with moderate frequency. Cluster 3 (21%) consists of multi-intensity participants. They are engaged in low-intensity, moderate-intensity, and high-intensity sports with high frequency. The intensity indicates that sport is an effective lifestyle for elderly individuals, particularly those who are villagers and not affluent. The urban-rural fringe area is associated with non-high-intensity participants in elderly sports. Additionally, marital statuses "never married" and "separated" are more associated with multi-intensity participants (Cluster 3). Institutionalized older adults living with a spouse show a higher likelihood of participating in high-intensity physical activities.