Exploring Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity Participation Patterns Using Association Rule Mining

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the social and physical environments for sport, exercise, and physical activity (SEPA) participation. However, limited research has examined how patterns of activity co-occurrence have changed across demographic groups. This study aimed to explore shifts in SEPA participation before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on identifying co-occurrence patterns by sex and age group.

Data were drawn from the 2019, 2021, and 2023 waves of the Korean National Sports Survey (N = 6609). Respondents who reported participating in 2 or more types of SEPA were included. Association rule mining was applied using the Apriori algorithm to identify coparticipation patterns. Rules were filtered using thresholds of support ≥ 0.01, confidence ≥ 0.50, and lift ≥ 1.00.

Co-occurrence patterns of SEPA participation changed notably across the prepandemic, pandemic, and postpandemic periods. In 2019, team sports such as basketball, soccer/futsal, and swimming showed strong co-occurrence. During the pandemic years, walking, hiking, and gymnastics became central activities. Men were more likely to engage in vigorous, competitive combinations, whereas women participated more in accessible, low-impact combinations. Younger adults exhibited the greatest shifts toward individual activities, whereas middle-aged and older adults maintained stable co-occurrence patterns centered around walking, gymnastics, and gateball.

This study revealed substantial shifts in SEPA co-occurrence patterns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight the need for promoting flexible, multiactivity strategies that are responsive to demographic differences and adaptive to external environmental changes.