Community Sport Participation Research Articles

Benefits and barriers of participating in community sport for individuals with an intellectual disability.

In recent years, there is an increasing number of individuals accessing integrated community sport clubs in Australia. The objective of this study was to explore the benefits and barriers of participating in community sport directly from the perspectives of the individuals with the intellectual disability. This qualitative study provided an appreciation of the lived experienced of participating in community sport for individuals with intellectual disabilities. A total of 29 participants shared their personal lived experiences in a series of focus groups. Data from the focus groups was transcribed and coded using a thematic analysis. Results highlight that participation in community sport increased exposure to social capital, ameliorated interpersonal skills, confidence, leadership, and respect, in addition to enhancing ability to develop and achieve personal goals. Findings illustrate the need for increased awareness about community integrated sport in schools and communities to increase participation in the programs.

Blending Human-Centred Design and Community-Based Participatory Action Research Approaches: Designing Community Sport and Recreation Provisions for Equity-Owed Communities

Addressing the social and economic disparities equity-owed low-income residents experience that prevent participation in community sport and recreation is complex. Community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) has been utilized to facilitate the participation of equity-owed communities in sport and recreation initiatives. However, in this paper, we discuss how CBPAR and human-centred design (HCD) help engage communities in discourse and action to support innovative social change in the context of sport and recreation for equity-owed low-income communities. This paper compares processes, core principles, and outcomes of CBPAR and HCD. It highlights how they can collectively drive discourse and action to foster innovative social change in sport and recreation for equity-owed communities. The proposed integration, called CBPAR+HCD, is suggested to initiate solutions that address the multifaceted challenges through a social justice lens, placing community-driven social innovation at the forefront. This paper highlights the benefits of combining CBPAR+HCD and acknowledges the inherent challenges in implementing this dual approach. Furthermore, it offers recommendations to support the combined approach, emphasizing the importance of this integrated methodology in promoting social change and addressing inequities within community sport and recreation initiatives.

Community Sports’ Engagement and Health Wellness among Older Adults in China

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between community sport participation and health promotion among Chinese older adults. This study used a descriptive comparative research design and a correlational research design. The population of this study is the elderly in Guangxi Xinxingyuan community, which has a total of 3847 elderly residents. The selected 300 older adults are survey to collect data relate to community sport participation and health promotion. Findings: Individuals' gender, age and education level have a significant impact on their community sport participation and health well-being. The attractiveness and accessibility of community sport activities need to be improved to stimulate active participation and increase the level of participation in community sport activities. Community sport participation among older people. Relevant policies and programmes should be designed to take into account individual differences and provide customised services and support for different groups. The health and well-being of older people needs urgent attention and improvement, especially among the older population. The impact of individual characteristics on health and well-being deserves attention, and it is crucial to provide customised health management solutions for different groups. Community sports activities play an important role in promoting the health and well-being of older persons and should be further promoted and strengthened. In view of the challenges faced by older persons in community sport participation, comprehensive policies and measures are needed to address these issues and to provide better environments and support for older persons' participation in sport.

Community Physical Activities Engagement and Overall Wellness among Older Adults in China

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between community sport participation and health promotion among Chinese older adults. This study used a descriptive comparative research design and a correlational research design. The population of this study is the elderly in Guangxi Xinxingyuan community, which has a total of 3847 elderly residents. The selected 300 older adults are survey to collect data relate to community sport participation and health promotion. The study concluded that the individuals' gender, age and education level have a significant impact on their community sport participation and health and well-being. The attractiveness and accessibility of community sports activities need to be improved to stimulate active participation and increase the level of community sports participation among older adults. Individual differences should be taken into account when designing relevant policies and programs, so as to provide customized services and support for different groups. The health and well-being of older people needs urgent attention and improvement, especially in terms of physical health, mental health and quality of life. The impact of individual characteristics on health and well-being deserves our attention, and it is crucial to provide customized health management solutions for different groups. Community sports activities play an important role in promoting the health and well-being of older people, and related activities should be further promoted and strengthened. In response to the challenges of community sport participation for older persons, comprehensive policies and measures are needed to address these issues and provide a better environment and support for older persons to participate in sport.

생활체육참여실태 조사 분석을 통한 신체활동 파악

생활체육참여실태 조사 분석을 통한 신체활동 파악

Australian sport and physical activity behaviours pre, during and post-COVID-19

BackgroundGlobally, COVID-19 and associated restrictions impacted negatively on recreational physical activity (RPA). Participation in community sport was significantly impacted with cancelled training and competitions. Whilst team and club-based sport participation declined during COVID-19 restrictions, participation in some physical activities actually increased, particularly individual and online activities and outdoor activities not requiring facilities.AimThe aim of this study is to investigate changes in the patterns of participation in club-based sport, informal sport and other RPA in Australia from pre, during and post-COVID-19 restrictions. Further, these participation patterns are broken down by gender, age and region of residence.MethodsTwo longitudinal waves of an online survey were conducted in mid-2020 and mid-2021. The first wave also captured retrospective pre-COVID19 (2019) data. Two sections of the survey dealt respectively with two ‘settings’ of RPA: organised club sport, and less structured sport and recreational physical activity (designated ‘other RPA’). For each year 2019–2021 each individual was categorized as participating (Yes/No) in each of club sport and other RPA. For each setting, the proportions of each pattern of participation were tabulated, and the results for the demographic cohorts were compared.ResultsA total of 1,138 Australians aged 13 years and above completed both waves of the survey. Overall, there were considerable differences between the patterns of club sport and other RPA. Most individuals who participated in other RPA (69%) were able to and did participate continuously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, and not surprisingly, the club-sport participants were forced to drop out in 2020 during COVID-19 restrictions, and less than half reported returning to play post-COVID-19 restrictions. Less than a quarter of sports club participants were able to continue to play throughout COVID-19 and beyond. Significantly more males returned to playing sport 51% than females 44%.ConclusionParticipation in community club-based sport has been significantly negatively impacted by COVID-19, more so than participation in some other recreational sport and physical activities. Further, fewer females than males returned to playing community sport, and priority and specific attention should be given to understanding why women and girls have not returned to playing community club-based sport.

Participation of girls and women in community sport in Ghana: Cultural and structural barriers

Despite numerous international and national policy documents promoting girls’ and women's empowerment and participation in community sports, the actual access to sport for women and girls is still restricted in several countries. This paper explores the situation in Ghana. Through the analytical lens of Cooky and Messner’s theory of ‘the unevenness of social change’, we analyse the cultural and structural barriers that prevent girls and women from participating in sport in Ghanaian communities. The data material is document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with male and female officials representing state-funded regional and district sports organisations as well as non-state sports organisations in Ghana. The findings reveal that cultural barriers, rooted in deep-seated cultural norms and structural hindrances that undermine gender-inclusive policies, contribute to the limited participation of girls and women in community sport. Furthermore, the interplay between these cultural and structural factors leads to gender-specific practices and fewer women in leadership positions. Based on our analyses, we suggest that structural changes (enforcing and implementing gender policies) can result in cultural changes (positive gender equality outcomes) over time.

Sport Participation, Extracurricular Activity Involvement, and Psychological Distress: A Latent Class Analysis of Canadian High School Student-Athletes

Although psychological distress has been shown to increase during adolescence, participation in organized activities may have protective effects. The present study aimed to identify whether there is a relationship between high school student-athletes’ breadth of participation in organized activities and psychological distress, using a latent class analysis. Canadian adolescent-athletes (n = 930) in Grades 11 and 12 completed an online survey that measured: (a) high school sport participation, (b) community sport participation, (c) nonsport extracurricular activities participation, and (d) psychological distress. The latent class analysis indicated that a two-class model (i.e., Class 1 = narrower breadth, low distress; Class 2 = wider breadth, moderate distress) was most appropriate. Results indicated that despite the divergent probability of organized activity participation, participants in both classes had a low to moderate probability of presenting elevated levels of psychological distress. However, levels of psychological distress were still higher than other Canadian adolescent populations, suggesting that overscheduling could be of concern. Gender and time (i.e., prior/during COVID-19 pandemic) were significant covariates in the model.

Correlates of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Children With Physical Illness and Physical-Mental Multimorbidity.

This study measured physical activity (PA) and explored its correlates among children with multimorbidity (co-occurring chronic physical and mental illness; MM) versus those with chronic physical illness only (PI). This study used baseline data from the Multimorbidity in Children and Youth Across the Life Course (MY LIFE) study, an on-going cohort study following 263 children with a PI 2 to 16 years of age (mean age: 9.8 years, SD = 4.0; 47.7% female). PA was measured using accelerometry, and demographic and psychosocial variables were collected using questionnaires. Of the 55 children with MM and the 85 with PI with valid accelerometer data, 38.1% and 41.2%, respectively, met average daily PA guidelines. Correlates of moderate-to-physical PA (MVPA) among children with MM were age, ρ(53) = −0.45, p = .001, body mass index (BMI), ρ(48) = −0.28, p = .04, self-perceived behavioral conduct, ρ(24) = −0.45, p = .02, physical health-related quality of life, ρ(51) = 0.56, p < .001, and peer support, ρ(52) = 0.27, p = .04. Correlates of MVPA among children with PI were age, ρ(83) = −0.40, p < .001, sex, ρ(83) = −0.26, p = .01, self-perceived social competence, ρ(31) = 0.42, p = .02, self-perceived athletic competence, ρ(31) = 0.48, p = .005, physical health-related quality of life, ρ(83) = 0.34, p = .001, participation in community sport, ρ(31) = 0.41, p = .02, and family functioning, ρ(83) = 0.26, p = .02. These results demonstrate that children with PI and MM are insufficiently active and their PA is correlated with demographic and psychosocial factors.

The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on perceived health and wellbeing of adult Australian sport and physical activity participants

Individuals’ access to sport and physical activity has been hampered due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. In Australia participation in community sport was cancelled during lockdowns. There is limited research on the impact of sport participation restrictions on the health and wellbeing of adults.AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the perceived health and wellbeing of a sample of predominantly active Australian adults, both during COVID-19 and in comparison with one year earlier (pre COVID-19).MethodsA survey was conducted during the first COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns in Australia in May–June 2020. It was distributed by national and state sporting organisations and through researchers’ social media accounts. This particular paper focuses on adults aged 18–59 years. The survey collected information on participant demographics, the sport and physical activity patterns pre- COVID-19, and health and wellbeing outcomes during COVID-19 lockdown and compared to one year earlier. The health measures were cross-tabulated against the demographic and sport and physical activity variables, and group profiles compared with chi-square tests. Scales were derived from three wellbeing questions, and group differences were analysed by t-tests and F-tests.ResultsThe survey sample included 1279 men and 868 women aged 18–59 years. Most (67%) resided in metropolitan cities. The great majority (83%) were sport participants. During COVID-19 lockdown men were significantly more likely than women to report worse or much worse general (p = 0.014), physical (p = 0.015) and mental health (p = 0.038) and lower life satisfaction (p = 0.016). The inactive adults were significantly more likely to report poorer general health (p = 0.001) and physical health (p = 0.001) compared to active adults. The younger age cohort (18–29 years) were significantly more likely to report poorer general wellbeing (p < 0.001), and lower life satisfaction (p < 0.001) compared to the older age groups.ConclusionIt seems that the absence of playing competitive sport and training with friends, teams and within clubs has severely impacted males and younger adults in particular. Sports clubs provide an important setting for individuals’ health and wellbeing which is why clubs require the capacity to deliver sport and individuals may need to regain the motivation to return.

Mapping Women's Community Sport Participation to Inform Sport Development Initiatives: A Case Study of Row Ontario.

Using a spatial analysis methodology, we analyzed sport participation through membership data of a Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, our analysis brings attention to the participation of women and girls in Row Ontario and the urban and rural nature of the PSO's membership. This research was conducted in partnership with the PSO to provide insights into how contextual factors influence sport participation and how these findings can inform future sport development efforts. Our results demonstrate that women and girls represented the majority of participants within the PSO and highlight an opportunity to use participant centered approaches for sport development to grow women and girls' participation. This is a promising outcome as women and girls are generally underrepresented in sport and may face greater participation barriers in rural contexts.

Implementing a healthy lifestyle program in residential out-of-home care: What matters, what works and what translates?

The Healthy Eating, Active Living Matters (HEALing Matters) program is being scaled up across residential out-of-home care (OOHC) in Victoria, Australia and is providing young people with the knowledge, skills and resources to promote better health through healthy eating and activity. HEALing Matters was piloted as the HEAL program, a dual-intervention program that aimed to provide young people living in residential care with education and opportunities to improve their eating and physical activity habits, while simultaneously building the capacity of their carers to promote, encourage and role model healthy lifestyle behaviours. Qualitative findings indicated that HEAL resulted in increased participation in community sport, increased availability of sports equipment, healthy meal preparation and healthy food availability and improvements in perceived young person self-esteem and independent living skills. Findings also revealed some limitations of the program. Following the pilot, a participatory methodological approach was used to better understand how to align the HEAL program with individual and community needs. This approach engaged diverse stakeholders to better understand the barriers and enablers, address limitations, identify key intervention points and build trust and a shared vision to co-design the HEALing Matters program. HEALing Matters is now delivered within a framework that is informed by attachment, trauma and resilience theories. This paper outlines the HEALing Matters journey from what matters, to what works, to what translates in relation to a healthy eating and active living intervention in OOHC.

Establishing social cohesiveness through participatory Community Sports

The purpose of this paper is to strengthen understanding of the potentiality that participation in community sports has in bringing about peace in communities. Studies have shown that where levels of peace and stability are low, multiple social, cultural, moral, political and religious problems are rampant. A structured closed-ended questionnaire was used in collecting data from a sample of 40 respondents for this study. The data collected was analyzed using Pearson correlation co-efficient statistical analysis. The findings showed that there is a positive relationship between participating in sporting activities and social cohesiveness (r=0.53, N =40, P= 0.02). The findings established insignificant p-values (0.25, 0.18, 0.50, 0.08) at 0.05 level of significant for social mixing, culturally disconnected from sports , organizational beliefs, values and set standards) as barriers to participation in community sports. Based on the findings of strong link between participating in sporting activities and social cohesiveness, participation in community sports should be intensified. Participation in community sports as a potential tool should be used in bringing about peace in those countries facing internal conflicts and fights both in Africa, and worldwide.

Does the Olympic legacy and sport participation influence resident support for future events?

ABSTRACT This study aims to explore and describe the structural relationships among (a) perceptions of Olympic legacy, (b) sport participation in the community and (c) resident support towards future events. A field study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro five-year post-Games, and data were collected from local residents who lived in the Olympic city using an online questionnaire (n = 400). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) analysed the psychometric properties of the constructs, and a subsequent structural equation model (SEM) examined the relationships between the constructs. Results indicated that the Olympic legacy can positively influence sport participation in the community and its support for future events. In addition, the findings also confirmed the predictive power of the community sport participation on the support behaviours, suggesting its inclusion in future models. Implications focus on effective synergies of political, sportive and social participation to enhance the local support level in the host community.

The Association of Family, Friends, and Teacher Support With Girls' Sport and Physical Activity on the Island of Ireland.

The current study was the largest physical activity (PA) surveillance assessment of youth undertaken in Ireland in recent years. The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of social support, while controlling for age and screen time, on PA and sport participation, across a representative sample of Irish female youth. A total of 3503 children (mean age: 13.54 [2.05]y) across the island of Ireland participated. Participants completed a previously validated electronic questionnaire while supervised in a classroom setting, which investigated their (1)levels of PA; (2)screen time; (3)community sport participation; and (4)social support (friend, family, and teacher) to be physically active/partake in sport. There were significant differences, with medium and large effect sizes, for social support from friends and family across types of sports participation. Specifically, girls who participated in the most popular team sports, when compared with the most popular individual sports, reported higher social support scores for friends and family structures. Findings from this study confirm the contributing influence of friends and family as sport and PA support networks for girls. Interventions should consider the importance of culturally relevant team sports for PA engagement in female youth.

A quasi-experimental examination of how changes in school-level intramurals are associated with physical activity among a sample of Canadian secondary school students from the COMPASS study.

IntroductionIntramurals in schools may encourage physical activity among youth. Schools are continuously making changes to these intramurals, yet it is not well understood how these changes impact youth physical activity. The main objective of this research was to examine if changes in the number of intramurals were associated with youth physical activity over time with a secondary objective to explore the association between sport participation and physical activity among youth over time.MethodsThis study used three years of linked longitudinal school- and student-level data from Ontario schools in year 5 (Y5: 2016–2017), year 6 (Y6: 2017–2018) and year 7 (Y7: 2018–2019) of the COMPASS study. Data on intramurals from 55 schools were collected from the School Programs and Policies questionnaire to determine intramural changes that were made from Y5 to Y6. Using the COMPASS Student Questionnaire, baseline demographics were collected and data on physical activity and sport participation were measured at Y5, Y6 and Y7 on 4417 students. Hierarchical linear mixed regression models were used to estimate how changes in intramurals were associated with youth physical activity over time.ResultsChanges in school-specific intramurals were not significantly associated with physical activity over time. Intramural, varsity and community sport participation were all positively and significantly associated with youth physical activity among female and males.ConclusionsIntramural, varsity and community sport participation are important opportunities for youth physical activity. Schools should offer a variety of intramural and varsity sports to encourage physical activity. Although adding intramurals may not be effective at increasing youth physical activity, they may be effective when used in combination with other strategies to increase physical activity.

How We Can Develop Sports in Iran: Explaining the Process

Purpose: The current research aimed to design and explain the sports Development processes in Iran.Methodology: The qualitative and grounded theory-based methods have been used for the current study. The snowball data sampling method and the semi-structural interviews with 15 knowledgeable elites on the subject was used for data collection. The obtained data were analysed by the grounded theory coding with the structuralist approach introduced by Charmaz (2006). The coding was done in two phases as the primary and concentrated codes. Then, the theoretical coding was used to organize the concentrated codes. The trustworthiness of the obtained data and codes for ensuring them the researcher did authenticity.Findings: The findings show that the processes required for sports development in Iran include attraction, maintenance (the Process of maintaining community sport participation and the Process of retaining talent), and education. These three processes and their components are interrelated and connected in a systematic approach. The proper designing of the processes and the relationship between their components with the strategy to use each process output as the input of the next one with particular emphasis on the interstitial processes and components is an essential point that must be considered.Originality: Proper design of processes and the relationship between their components using each Process's output as input to the next Process with special emphasis on the Process and intermediate components is a critical point that must be considered. It is in this state that heroism is taken out of the greenhouse mode. Incidentally, with the spread and promotion of sports and physical activity among different sections of society, the possibility of the emergence of sports talents naturally increases, and their growth and excellence path becomes clear. Iran's sports development model is presented with a stakeholder approach, procedures and process.

Factors Associated with Students Meeting Components of Canada’s New 24-Hour Movement Guidelines over Time in the COMPASS Study

This study aimed to determine if secondary school students are meeting the new Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24-MG), as well as each individual recommendation (physical activity; sleep; sedentary behavior) within the 24-MG, and which student-level characteristics predict meeting the 24-MG, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. This study is the first to examine longitudinal changes in students meeting the 24-MG, as well as student-level characteristics that were predictive of favourable shifts in movement patterns. Cross-sectional data were obtained for 11,793 grade 9 students across Canada as part of the COMPASS study. Of this sample, 3713 students provided linked follow-up data from grade 9 to grade 12. The probability of meeting the guidelines was modeled using two-level logistic regression analyses, adjusting for student-level co-variates and school clustering. Only 1.28% (p < 0.0001) of the sample met the overall 24-MG. Among grade 9 students, 35.9% (p < 0.0001), 50.8% (p < 0.0001), and 6.4% (p < 0.0001) were meeting the individual recommendations for physical activity, sleep, and screen time, respectively. Of those students, less than half were still meeting them by grade 12. Community sport participation was the only predictor of all three individual recommendations within the 24-MG. Longitudinal analyses found that community sport participation and parental support and encouragement were significantly associated with Grade 12 students starting to meet the physical activity and screen time recommendations, respectively, after having not met them in grade 9. Findings can be used to inform policy and public health practice, as well as to inform future research examining causal relationships between the variables.

Reducing financial barriers through the implementation of voucher incentives to promote children\u2019s participation in community sport in Australia

BackgroundParticipation in organised sport and physical activity contributes to health-enhancing levels of leisure time physical activity. In Australia, 58% of children aged 0–14 years participated at least once a week in October 2015 – December 2017. To overcome the frequently cited cost barrier, sports voucher incentives have been widely implemented across Australia.MethodThe financial value of jurisdictional vouchers and the National median financial value were used to calculate the proportion of total annual expenditure on children’s participation in sport supported by sports vouchers. Participation rates using AusPlay data were estimated by age, sex and socio-economic index (SEIFA) at state and national level for children aged 0–14 years.ResultsFive States and Territories implemented sports vouchers from 2011 to 2018, with a median value of AU$150. Nationally, median annual expenditure for children’s sport participation was AU$447 (IQR $194.2–936), with 27% reported expenditure supported by a sports voucher. The proportion of financial support from sports vouchers increased considerably with social disadvantage, rising to over 60% of total expenditure in the most disadvantaged populations.ConclusionsSocio-economic status was associated with sports-related expenditure and sports participation amongst children. Sport vouchers should target children in the most disadvantaged areas to promote participation in organised sport and physical activity.

The Effectiveness of Community Sports Provision on Social Inclusion and Public Health in Rural China.

It is well known that increasing participation in physical activities is not only positive for individual health promotion, but also beneficial for community-level public health by enhancing the individual’s social well-being by facilitating social inclusion. Although the provision of community sports affects participation in physical activities, the magnitude and direction of this effect are still not clear. Under this circumstance, this paper examined the effects of community sports provision on social inclusion and public health using the micro-level data from a household survey conducted in eight provinces of rural China. For the purpose of this paper, the degree of social inclusion was proxied by participation in community sports, while public health was measured by the probability of getting ill for members of each household. The empirical results show that community sports provision was partially effective in promoting inclusion and health in rural areas. Specifically, constructing public sports facilities significantly increases participation in community sports and decreases the risk of getting ill. In contrast, organizing public sports activities increases the opportunity for households to play sports. Nonetheless, it does not promote public health. Equally important is that economic growth (reflected in the increase in income level) may enhance public health through advancing medical technologies and improving sanitary conditions instead of encouraging participation in community sports.