Intention of Participating International Sports Events and Regular Exercise of People with Disabilities

[[abstract]]The purpose of this thesis is primarily to explore current status of Taiwanese disabled people who attend Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival and further attempt to establish an analytic index for the disabled by applying theory of planned behavior and regular exercise habits. The target population of this research was the disabled who attended the 31th Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival in 2013. Data were collected through surveys and the study sample comprised 250 respondents. After the eliminations, our sample consisted of 210 with good responding rate (84%). Factor analysis, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA analysis and linear structural equation modeling are performed to test the hypotheses in this study. The demographic profile revealed significant differences in age, occupation, regular swimming activities, participating frequency in swimming carnival, residence and disabled types. The results also indicated that subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavioral control and regular exercise habits have positive impact on behavioral intention. Finally, implications and suggestions for further research are discussed