Determining Adolescents’ Information Acquisition Path for Sports Participation Using Social Network Analysis and Data from the 2023 South Korea Analysis and Data from the 2023 South Korea

Objectives: Sports participation is influenced by the perception of sports facilities and class experiences, as well as various sources of information. Gender influences activity participation including the type of activity. Our objective was to identify the information acquisition path through which adolescents collect information related to sports participation. Methods: We used data from the 2023 the South Korea National Sport Survey and examined gender differences. Participants were 1063 adolescents who responded to the 2023 survey, (540 boys and 523 girls). We employed social network analysis to analyze the information acquisition path about sport. Results: For both boys and girls, the Internet (e.g., portal sites, YouTube, SNS) was the most important path. Gender differences showed boys influenced more by family and acquaintances (e.g., friends, colleagues). In contrast, girls were influenced more by mass media (e.g., newspapers, TV, radio). Conclusions: Gender specific information delivery strategies may be valuable when providing sports information. We offer insights and practical guidelines for promoting participation in sport-for-all among adolescents.