Social Status and Self-Assessment of Health Condition as Factors Determining Access to Physical Recreation among Former Female Athletes as Compared to Women without Competitive Sports Experience.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether an experience of longterm competitive sports activity may reduce the negative influence of unfavourable social status and low health self-assessment on women’s participation in physical recreation. A survey study involved women aged 18-51 years: former female athletes (n=137) and women who neither were in the past nor are at present involved in competitive sports activities (n=220). Variables defining participation in physical recreation (PR), socio-economic status and health self-assessment were taken into consideration. It was shown that women’s participation in PR is significantly determined by previous competitive sports activity, a positive health condition self-assessment and a relatively high social status. However, the experience of competitive sports activity does not compensate for an unfavourable effect of women’s low social status on their participation in physical recreation activities. All efforts oriented at increasing women’s access to physical recreation should combine two directions: popularisation of competitive sports among young girls and creating conditions for improvement of women’s social status (employment, income, education), which will enable them to make health-promoting decisions.