International Journal of Sport Studies for Health

Objective: This study examined the structure, development, and thematic organization of research on traditional sports and physical culture within Turkology literature through a bibliometric approach.

Methods: Records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using a structured topic search. A total of 264 publications were included and analyzed through descriptive bibliometric indicators and science-mapping techniques. Publication trends, author productivity, country contributions, keyword patterns, co-occurrence structures, thematic clusters, and citation patterns were assessed.

Results: The literature showed limited activity before 2010, followed by gradual growth and a clearer increase after 2015. Author productivity was widely dispersed, with no dominant author group or consolidated research core. Türkiye was the leading contributor, followed by Russia and the United States, while contributions from other countries indicated gradual internationalization. Keyword and thematic analyses showed that the field is mainly shaped by cultural, historical, and geographical perspectives. Sport-specific terms appeared less frequently and were usually embedded within broader socio-cultural discussions rather than treated as a separate sport-science domain. The citation structure also suggested a fragmented knowledge base with limited intellectual consolidation.

Conclusion: Traditional sports research within Turkology remains interdisciplinary, text-centered, and conceptually dispersed. Although academic interest has increased, the field still lacks a stable theoretical foundation and a clearly defined disciplinary identity. More focused, theoretically informed, and methodologically integrated studies are needed to strengthen the conceptual coherence of this research area.

Objective: The present study aims to investigate digital gaming behavior among university students by examining the interactions between digital game playing attitudes, gaming motivation, and digital game addiction awareness. Specifically, the study seeks to determine how these psychological dimensions vary across key demographic factors, including gender, faculty type, and grade level. In addition, the study aims to analyze the relationships among attitudes, motivation, and awareness to provide a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms shaping digital gaming behavior in this population.

Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed. The sample consisted of 337 university students (aged 17–32) selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected via validated scales measuring digital game addiction awareness, game playing motivation, and attitudes toward digital games. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS, including independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Female students demonstrated significantly higher levels of digital game addiction awareness (M = 46.32) compared to males (M = 41.66, p < .001), whereas male students showed higher motivation (M = 65.64 vs. 57.25, p < .001) and more positive attitudes (M = 57.22 vs. 49.92, p < .001). Students from the Faculty of Sports Sciences had lower awareness levels than students from other faculties (p < .001), while no significant differences were observed in motivation or attitudes. Grade level did not significantly affect awareness or motivation; however, differences were found in attitudes (p < .05). Correlation analysis revealed a weak negative relationship between awareness and motivation (r = -0.141, p < .01) and attitudes (r = -0.136, p < .05), and a very strong positive relationship between motivation and attitudes (r = 0.924, p < .001).

Conclusion: Digital gaming behavior among university students is influenced by an interaction of awareness, motivation, and attitudes. Interventions should adopt an integrated approach focusing on increasing awareness and regulating motivation to promote balanced gaming behaviors.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesize recent evidence on the ecological dynamics approach in motor learning, with particular attention to its application in sport and educational contexts.

Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published between 2015 and 2024. A total of 4,387 records were identified, and 11 studies were included in the final synthesis. The included literature comprised heterogeneous study designs, including empirical studies and conceptual contributions, addressing technical skill acquisition, adaptability, creativity, perceptual-cognitive development, and pedagogical applications.

 Results: Overall, the findings suggest that ecological dynamics-informed approaches may support adaptive motor learning and functional variability, although conclusions should be interpreted cautiously due to variability in study design and methodological quality.

Conclusion: The results highlight the practical relevance of constraint-based approaches for coaches and physical education teachers, while emphasizing the need for more rigorous and comparable empirical research.

This study examined the effects of a 6-week micro-dose neuromuscular training (NMT) program integrated into the warm-up during the in-season period on frontal-plane knee valgus angle during landing and on jump performance in male handball players. Competitive male handball players competing at the Regional League level in Ankara were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). The experimental group performed a 10-12 min micro-dose NMT warm-up three times per week for 6 weeks in place of part of the routine warm-up, whereas the control group maintained the routine warm-up and training content. The program included trunk-hip stabilization and motor control, controlled bilateral and unilateral jump-landing tasks, and short-distance acceleration-deceleration drills. Knee valgus angle was assessed with two-dimensional frontal-plane video analysis during a 30-cm drop-jump task, and jump performance was assessed using squat jump, countermovement jump, and drop-jump height. In the experimental group, knee valgus angle decreased significantly and all jump outcomes improved, whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. In the post-test comparison, knee valgus angle was lower in the experimental group than in the control group, while between-group differences in jump outcomes remained close to the threshold of statistical significance. Micro-dose NMT integrated into the warm-up may therefore improve landing mechanics and may represent a feasible in-season strategy for supporting jump performance in male handball players.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between athletes’ attitudes toward sport and their quality of life and to explore whether these variables differed across selected demographic characteristics among university athletes.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 201 university athletes (52.7% female, 47.3% male; mean age = 23.25 ± 5.17 years). Data were collected using the Attitude Toward Sport Scale and the WHOQOL-BREF. Because the data did not meet parametric assumptions, non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted to examine correlations and group differences.

Results: Statistically significant positive correlations were found between attitudes toward sport and all dimensions of quality of life (p < .01), with coefficients ranging from r = .19 to r = .52. Strong associations were also observed among attitude sub-dimensions, particularly between interest in sport and sport–life integration (r = .71) and between interest in sport and active participation (r = .67). No significant differences were found between team and individual sports across most variables (p > .05), although athletes in team sports reported significantly higher scores in the environmental dimension of quality of life (U = 3971.50, p = .015). Gender differences were identified in physical health (U = 3979.00, p = .010) and environmental factors (U = 4004.00, p = .012), both favoring male participants, whereas attitudes toward sport did not differ significantly by gender (p > .05). Marital status was associated with significant differences in psychological state, general health, social relationships, interest in sport, and sport–life integration. Duration of sport participation also showed significant effects on physical health, environmental factors, and interest in sport.

Conclusion: More positive attitudes toward sport were associated with better quality of life among university athletes. These findings suggest that fostering favorable attitudes toward sport may contribute to broader well-being outcomes in this population.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the anthropometric, motor, and physiological correlates of competitive success among elite female Kho-Kho players and to identify the primary predictors of match performance.

Materials and Methods: This correlational study recruited 30 national-level female Kho-Kho players. Multidimensional profiling included assessment of Body Mass Index, resting heart rate, reaction time, linear speed, agility, and explosive strength. In-game performance was evaluated during a competitive event by expert coaches using a structured Likert-scale assessment covering six fundamental skill components. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients were used for data analysis after verifying parametric assumptions.

Results: The analysis showed a statistically significant inverse relationship between match performance and linear speed (r = -0.379, p = 0.03), as well as between match performance and cognitive-motor reaction time (r = -0.417, p = 0.02). However, agility, explosive strength, resting heart rate, and other foundational metrics did not show statistically significant correlations with match performance.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that among national-level female Kho-Kho players, linear speed and reaction time are the main factors differentiating match performance. The absence of significant associations for other physical and physiological variables may indicate an “elite plateau” effect, where baseline physical traits are already highly developed. Therefore, elite Kho-Kho training programs should place greater emphasis on targeted neuro-cognitive drills and overspeed training to enhance competitive performance.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between conspicuous consumption tendencies and levels of social desirability among students in the Faculties of Sport Sciences at public and foundation (private) universities, and to examine whether these variables differed according to selected demographic characteristics.

Methods: The study included 666 university students, of whom 351 were enrolled at Muş Alparslan University, a public university, and 315 at Istanbul Topkapı University, a foundation (private) university. All participants were students in the Faculty of Sport Sciences. The sample comprised 438 male and 228 female students, with mean ages of 20.9 ± 1.9 and 20.9 ± 2.5 years, respectively. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Conspicuous Consumption Tendencies Scale, and the Social Desirability Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis were used for data analysis.

Results: The findings showed that, among students at both public and foundation universities, the variables of following fashion and purchase motivation were associated with significant differences in both social desirability and conspicuous consumption tendencies. Gender was found to be a significant factor particularly in relation to social desirability, whereas income level was significant only among foundation university students (p < .05). In addition, a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship was identified between conspicuous consumption tendencies and social desirability levels across the full sample.

Conclusion: Conspicuous consumption tendencies and social desirability among students in Faculties of Sport Sciences appear to be shaped primarily by fashion orientation and purchase motivation. Gender plays a meaningful role in social desirability, while income level differentiates outcomes only among students attending foundation universities. Overall, higher levels of conspicuous consumption were associated with higher levels of social desirability.

Objective: This study systematically reviewed the impact of the sports industry on sustainable economic development, with a particular focus on economic growth, employment generation, and structural transformation across regions.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Articles were retrieved from the Scopus database using the keywords government, sport, industry, and impact. A total of 190 records were initially identified. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria (English language, open access, empirical studies, and relevance to economic impact), 7 studies were included in the final synthesis. Bibliometric mapping using VOSviewer was performed to identify dominant research themes and keyword networks.

Results: The findings indicate a consistent positive association between the sports industry and economic development. Quantitative studies reported statistically significant effects, including a measurable contribution to regional economic growth (β ≈ 0.010, p < 0.10) and strong effects of digital economy integration on industry development (p ≤ 0.01). Panel regression analyses demonstrated that technological advancement and digitalization significantly enhanced operational efficiency and reduced costs in sports-related sectors. Thematic synthesis revealed five dominant dimensions: (1) integration with the health sector, (2) funding and sponsorship models, (3) digital transformation, (4) regional heterogeneity, and (5) industrial clustering. Additionally, large-scale survey data (n = 1040 individuals; n = 626 organizations) highlighted the role of financial resilience and policy support in sustaining the industry during economic disruptions.

Conclusion: The sports industry plays a strategic role in advancing sustainable economic development through income generation, job creation, and innovation. Its alignment with SDG 11 underscores its importance in building resilient, inclusive, and economically sustainable societies, while emphasizing the need for stronger governance and policy frameworks.