Environmental and social influences on nighttime sports participation: A dual-theory perspective from social ecology theory and expectation confirmation theory

BACKGROUND: Nighttime sports participation has become a flexible option for individuals with limited daytime exercise opportunities, yet continued participation may depend on environmental, social, and psychological factors. OBJECTIVE: Guided by social ecology theory (SET) and expectation confirmation theory (ECT), this study examined the associations of environmental appraisal (EA) and social support (SS) with intention to participate (ITP) in nighttime sports through perceived benefits (PB), degree of confirmation (DC), and satisfaction level (SL), while also considering the role of expectation (EX). METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in seven provinces and municipalities in China in December 2024. A total of 4032 valid responses were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model, and indirect pathways were examined using bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5000 resamples. RESULTS: EA and SS were significantly associated with PB. PB, EX, EA, and SS were significantly associated with DC. DC was significantly associated with SL, and SL was significantly associated with ITP. Bootstrap analyses further supported the serial indirect pathways linking EA and SS to ITP through PB, DC, and SL. CONCLUSION: EA and SS were statistically associated with ITP in nighttime sports through PB, DC, and SL. These findings support a contextual-cognitive-affective pathway and suggest that continued nighttime sports participation is related not only to external environmental and social resources, but also to individuals' cognitive evaluation and satisfaction with their participation experiences.