Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method
Abstract Background Physical activity is known to have numerous benefits for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Understanding family sentiments towards ASD sports participation is crucial for developing interventions that promote physical activity. This study aimed to explore the senti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-06-01
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| Series: | BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01189-0 |
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| author | Shan He Fengshi Jing Hao Ren Yanning Xiao Xia Sebastiane Chen Ruihong Tang Yue Qiu Junwei Zeng Tianyu Gao Junhao Huang |
| author_facet | Shan He Fengshi Jing Hao Ren Yanning Xiao Xia Sebastiane Chen Ruihong Tang Yue Qiu Junwei Zeng Tianyu Gao Junhao Huang |
| author_sort | Shan He |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Physical activity is known to have numerous benefits for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Understanding family sentiments towards ASD sports participation is crucial for developing interventions that promote physical activity. This study aimed to explore the sentiments of families regarding sports participation for individuals with ASD using longitudinal data from Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform. Objective This study investigates family sentiments and attitudes toward sports participation by ASD individuals, leveraging longitudinal data from Sina Weibo and machine learning–based sentiment analysis. Methods We collected Weibo posts containing the keyword “autism” from January 2020 to April 2023, filtered for sports‑related content, and divided the dataset into ten four‑month intervals. Using SnowNLP’s Naive Bayes–based sentiment classifier, we labeled each post as positive or negative and analyzed temporal trends. Results Positive sentiments toward sports participation far outnumbered negative sentiments, and the proportion of supportive posts increased steadily over the study period, reflecting growing recognition of sports’ role in enhancing well‑being and development among ASD individuals. Conclusion Families of ASD individuals increasingly acknowledge the multifaceted benefits of physical activity. These insights can guide the design of targeted interventions and inclusive sports programs, ultimately fostering greater participation and improving quality of life within the ASD community. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c458d41a71b44ae2b15bcd240eef033b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2052-1847 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation |
| spelling | doaj-art-c458d41a71b44ae2b15bcd240eef033b2025-08-20T03:10:35ZengBMCBMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation2052-18472025-06-011711910.1186/s13102-025-01189-0Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning methodShan He0Fengshi Jing1Hao Ren2Yanning Xiao3Xia Sebastiane Chen4Ruihong Tang5Yue Qiu6Junwei Zeng7Tianyu Gao8Junhao Huang9School of Physical Education, Guangdong University of TechnologyFaculty of Data Science, City University of MacauInstitute for Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Application, The Affiliated Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital of Jinan UniversityInstitute of Physical Education, Sichuan UniversityPsychology Department, University of WisconsinDepartment of Health and Physical Education, The Education University of Hong KongFaculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong KongSchool of Physical Education, Guangdong University of TechnologySchool of Physical Education, Jinan UniversityGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Activity and Health Promotion, Guangzhou Sport UniversityAbstract Background Physical activity is known to have numerous benefits for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Understanding family sentiments towards ASD sports participation is crucial for developing interventions that promote physical activity. This study aimed to explore the sentiments of families regarding sports participation for individuals with ASD using longitudinal data from Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform. Objective This study investigates family sentiments and attitudes toward sports participation by ASD individuals, leveraging longitudinal data from Sina Weibo and machine learning–based sentiment analysis. Methods We collected Weibo posts containing the keyword “autism” from January 2020 to April 2023, filtered for sports‑related content, and divided the dataset into ten four‑month intervals. Using SnowNLP’s Naive Bayes–based sentiment classifier, we labeled each post as positive or negative and analyzed temporal trends. Results Positive sentiments toward sports participation far outnumbered negative sentiments, and the proportion of supportive posts increased steadily over the study period, reflecting growing recognition of sports’ role in enhancing well‑being and development among ASD individuals. Conclusion Families of ASD individuals increasingly acknowledge the multifaceted benefits of physical activity. These insights can guide the design of targeted interventions and inclusive sports programs, ultimately fostering greater participation and improving quality of life within the ASD community.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01189-0Autism spectrum disorderSocial media data analysisSports participationPhysical activitySentiment analysis |
| spellingShingle | Shan He Fengshi Jing Hao Ren Yanning Xiao Xia Sebastiane Chen Ruihong Tang Yue Qiu Junwei Zeng Tianyu Gao Junhao Huang Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation Autism spectrum disorder Social media data analysis Sports participation Physical activity Sentiment analysis |
| title | Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method |
| title_full | Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method |
| title_fullStr | Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method |
| title_short | Exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation: a case study on Weibo using machine learning method |
| title_sort | exploring emotions and perspectives of families with autism spectrum disorder individuals on sports participation a case study on weibo using machine learning method |
| topic | Autism spectrum disorder Social media data analysis Sports participation Physical activity Sentiment analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-025-01189-0 |
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