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Urban-Rural Differences in Public Sports Service Demands Among Older Adults and Their Fulfillment Paths: An Empirical Study of Shaanxi Province

Author(s)

Yihua Sun

Affiliation(s)

School of Business, Xi'an Innovation College of Yan'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Abstract

To optimize public sports service allocation for older adults under the “Healthy China” initiative, this study investigated urban-rural demand disparities in Shaanxi Province. Surveying 600 older adults, we analyzed sports participation, service demands, satisfaction, and supply-demand matching using Chi-square tests, independent samples t-tests, binary Logistic regression, and the IPA model. Results revealed: (1) A significant urban-rural sports participation gap; urban regular exercise rates (69.83%) substantially exceeded rural rates (27.12%), with urban-rural attributes independently driving exercise behavior (Exp (B)=2.000, P<0.05). (2) Highly polarized demands; rural adults focused on basic venues and collective activities, whereas urban adults favored high-level services like scientific lectures and professional guidance. (3) A structural supply mismatch emphasizing hardware over soft services, with professional guidance and normalized activities emerging as core shortcomings. (4) Significantly higher overall satisfaction in urban (M=4.05) than rural areas (M=3.46). Consequently, this study constructs differentiated strategies: a quality-enhancement path integrating sports and medicine for urban areas, and a baseline-guarantee path upgrading micro-spaces and empowering grassroots leaders for rural areas. Finally, a data-driven financial assessment mechanism is proposed to advance service equalization.

Keywords

Active Aging; Public Sports Services; Urban-Rural Differences; Fulfillment Paths

References

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