Sports for Health in Lao People's Democratic Republic: The Role of Athletic Identity Among People With Physical Disabilities.

Although sport is promoted as a means of improving health for persons with disabilities, empirical evidence from the Global South remains limited. This study addressed this gap by examining how sport participation and athletic identity relate to mental and physical health among persons with disabilities in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 106 adults (55 males and 51 females), and data were analyzed using quantitative group comparisons and mediation and moderation analyses. Sport participation showed minimal direct associations with health outcomes, whereas athletic identity demonstrated significant positive relationships with life satisfaction and physical health. Mediation analysis indicated that athletic identity indirectly linked sport participation with physical health, and moderation analysis showed that athletic identity strengthened the positive association between sport participation and mental health. These findings suggest that sport-related health benefits depend not only on participation but also on the internalization of an athletic identity.