Roles and functions of sport and recreation officers on physical activity and sport exercise promotion in Thailand

Abstract

Sport and Recreation Officers play an important role in the dissemination of information about physical activity, sport, and exercise to communities. They also take responsibility to explore, and provide appropriate health promotional activity for people in the area by mainly considering on social context. In the recent years, Sport and Recreation Officers have created numerous numbers of physical activity and exercise in the whole country. Unfortunately, there is no clearly study describing the roles and responsibilities of these personnel in the health promotion procedure. Thus, this study aims to assess the performance of Sport and Recreation Officers focusing on 1) what does the role of these officers in the physical activity, sport, and exercise promotion, and 2) how do they get involved with the health promotion partners and networks. The data are from the project of exercise and sport promotion at provincial level with the sponsorship of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. Data were collected from officers, health clubs, and health organizations working in 5 provinces of all Thailand regions. Dataset presents the meaningful information of social networks, and role of individual health partners in health activity at community level. The results from the Social Networks Analysis (SNA) showed that Sport and Recreation Officers are the key person as a leader in promoting physical activity and exercise in the community. Furthermore, they are the center of the health workers network that are responsible for coordinating the work ties and maintaining the relationship among organizations related to the physical activity, sport and exercise promotion. Also, when considering a socio-diagram from SNA, it pointed out that these personnel are also indispensable of the activity management system in terms of staffing, budgeting, equipment and information. Without these personnel, there is no continuity and connectivity of the social network of health partners. It is therefore suggested that to provide effective health promotion activities at the community level, it should assign a liaison role to Sports and Recreation Officers. They would directly coordinate and transmit any of health policy and activity to their partners, networks, and people in the community thoroughly.