The Effect of Playing Gateball Sports on Older Chinese People’s Wellbeing in the Context of Active Aging—Based Mediation of Social Capital

Abstract

Participation in gateball sports may improve the well-being of older individuals in the context of active aging. However, the mechanisms of the effect need a social viewpoint. A random sample of 337 valid data points was gathered from seven cities in the Chinese province of Hunan. Structural equation modeling, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, and other techniques examined the standard structure and causal links between involvement in gateball sports, social capital, and elderly people’s well-being. According to structural equation modeling, playing gateball sports may improve elderly people’s well-being, and social capital may influence this link to some extent. The engagement in gateball sports and social capital work in concert to promote well-being, according to a qualitative comparative study of the fuzzy sets that identified four patterns of “A, B, C, and D” antecedent constructs that do so in elderly people.