| Abstrakt: |
Collegiate student-athletes are faced with unique challenges as they are often forced to negotiate between demanding social, athletic, and academic roles. These competing priorities put student-athletes at greater risk for experiencing physical and psychological health problems than their non-athlete peers. To better understand the behaviors and lifestyle factors leading to these negative outcomes, we must consider how they think about health. The purpose of this study was to examine how student-athletes in the Canadian context conceptualize health, and to examine how they formulate these understandings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 actively-competing student-athletes from nine varsity sports at two academic institutions, and data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants constructed health holistically, with particular emphasis on physical and mental domains over social well-being. The quality of one's physical health was equated in many ways with athletic capacity, as was the quality of mental health to a lesser degree. Participants discussed many sources from which they drew health ideas, but sport experiences were cited as particularly significant and formative. Findings can inform future research into conceptualizations of health among other university student populations, and further inquiry into how health ideas manifest into behavior. Recommendations are provided for collegiate sport administrators including placing emphasis on mental health resources, and improving support while athletes acclimate to the demanding lifestyle of varsity sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
