[Sport activities from the lifespan perspective].

Considering lifespan developmental psychology, engagement in sport can be seen as a dynamic process of phases of participation and inactivity that varies from individual to individual. Depending on the individual biography, specific categories and patterns of sport participation evolve over a lifetime. Changes of sport participation rates over the last 30 years are discussed on the basis of general social changes. Six patterns of reasons will be discussed. The focus is set on a heuristic model as a base to explain the individual changes of behavior in sports over the lifespan. This model depicts engagement in sports as a process of dynamic changes (aspect of process and time) influenced by specific determinants in the different phases of changes (aspect of determinants). Finally, three of these determinants--(health) motives, barriers and preferences for sport and exercises--are specified because they seem to be important for adherence to adults' sports activities.