Measuring the Influence of Social Support of Women in Selecting Women's and Public Parks for Sports Participation

This research is an attempt to analyze the perceived social support for women in Behesht-e Madaran Park and Mellat Park in District 3 of Tehran Municipality and to explore physical and mental health as the outcomes of this kind of support. The target group included 18 to 65-year-old women. This study is carried out with a comparative approach using the questioning method (105 questionnaires in the women’s park and 120 questionnaires in the public park). Data analysis was both quantitative and qualitative. Expert-centered qualitative analysis has been performed in the study of received social support and quantitative analysis has been performed with SPSS software. The results of descriptive analysis this research suggest that according to women, the state instrumental and informational supports are inadequate in both spaces but the families and friends provide adequate emotional support. Moreover the findings of exploratory analysis based on Gamma and Contingency Coefficient correlation test, different layers of social support affect the level of women's sports activity in urban parks. The difference between the views of women in the two spaces showed that women who chosed the women's park for sports believed that, among other factors, criteria such as family support in taking responsibility for housework and media support were effective. In their view, factors such as religion, financial support, restrictions on government laws, information about appropriate sports and the place and time of scheduled sports did not have much effect on participation in sports, but the same factors were important for other group.