Exploring a mother's engagement in team sport: An application of an extended theory of planned behaviour

Objectives: Mothers of young children are at-risk for low physical activity. Organised team sport provides additional social and mental health benefits above that of physical activity. To better understand engagement in team sport, this study aimed to apply the theory of planned behaviour, with the addition of maternal identity and social support. Design: A prospective two-part online study was conducted two weeks apart to collect data from 122 mothers in Australia (M = 32.22, SD = 4.42). Methods: Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict intention and engagement in team sports. A moderation was conducted to determine the effect of social support on the intention–behaviour relationship. Results: Results indicated that 65.1 % of the variance in intention was explained, with years since previously played (β = − 0.17), attitudes (β = 0.20), subjective norms (β = 0.41), and perceived behavioural control (β = 0.16) being significant, and level of team sport social support, and maternal identity being non-significant. Additionally, 65.7 % of the variance in behaviour was explained, with perceived behavioural control (β = 0.28) and intention (β = 0.50) being significant, and years since previously played and social supportbeing non-significant. Social support moderated the relationship between intention and engagement, such that social support facilitated engagement. Conclusions: The findings show support for the predictive ability of the theory and mothers within a sporting context. Behaviour change techniques related to strengthening intention and personal agency could be used to inform interventions intending to increase team sports participation.