The Relationship between Social Capital and Sport Participation in Elderly Men of Lahijan City in 2019

Introduction: The period of ageing is one of the most important periods in human’s life. Elderly population always have problems.  Participation in sports activities plays an important role in elderly people’s life. Every elderly person’s social capital is the most important on which a person participates in sport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and sport participation in elderly men of Lahijan city in 2019. Method: This   study   was a descriptive-analytical research. The statistical population of this study was included all elderly people in Lahijan city. 227 people were selected as a sample. A probability sampling method was used in this   study. The instrument was included Nahapiet and Ghoshal’s social capital and Trail’s sport participation questionnaires. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS and PLS software. Results: the results showed that elderly men’s age mean was 66 years. The effectiveness of structured social capital on the mental development of sports participation (P<0.034, β=2.32), the effectiveness of structured social capital on the objective development of sports participation (6P<0.014, β= 6.98), the effectiveness of communication social capital on the mental development of sports participation (P<0.033, β=2.71), and the effectiveness of cognitive social capital on the mental development of sports participation (P<0.007, β=9.98) was confirmed in the elderly population. Conclusion:  The results show that the development of social capital provides more sports participation for the elderly people and social capital can have an effect on elderly people’s sports.