Youth Development Programs (YDPs) can serve as effective mechanisms to alleviate social and psychological adversities while enhancing and developing resilience among youth. Recently, more YDPs have ...incorporated sport within Sport for Development (SFD) models to achieve these goals. Due to the growing Latino population in the US and the wide achievement gap between Latinos and other demographic populations, there is a need to explore programs that may support individual development as well as long-term change with regard to social inequality. There is also a need to better understand the ecological contexts within SFD programs and how these contexts may support underserved youth. Specifically, using an ecological systems perspective, this study seeks to explore the implementation of a sport program by a YDP in order to examine the ecological processes that may support or inhibit the efficacy of sport programs working with underserved youth. Juntos is a YDP that primarily serves Latinx youth and families by assisting youth with graduating high school and pursuing higher education opportunities. Juntos incorporates two annual soccer tournaments (i.e., Kicking it with Juntos and Copa Unidos). A qualitative case study approach was implemented in two counties in North Carolina. Interviews were conducted with tournament participants, county coordinators and planning committee members. Findings found three key themes related to three ecological levels 1. At the Microsystem level, sport was implemented to engage youth and connect to non-sport program outcomes, but divergent perceptions of goals among stakeholders potentially inhibited intentional implementation. At the Mesosystem level, sport provided a mechanism to engage in collaborative relationships and encouraged parental participation. At the Macrosystem level, sport celebrated Latino culture and attempted to address social barriers facing Latinx youth, but some aspects of culture may have created barriers to access for girls. Findings suggested that while the programs emphasized mesosystem engagement, more integration across exosystem and macrosystem levels may be needed for sustainable outcomes.
Parks provide opportunities for physical activity for children. This study examined sex differences in correlates of park-based physical activity because differences may indicate that a standard ...environmental intervention to increase activity among children may not equally benefit boys and girls.
The System for Observation Play and Recreation in Communities was used to measure physical activity among 2,712 children and adolescents in 20 neighborhood parks in Durham, North Carolina, in 2007. Sedentary activity, walking, vigorous park activity, and energy expenditure were the primary outcome variables. Hierarchical logit regression models of physical activity were estimated separately for boys and girls.
Type of activity area and presence of other active children were positively associated with boys' and girls' physical activity, and presence of a parent was negatively associated. A significant interaction involving number of recreation facilities in combination with formal activities was positively associated with girls' activity. A significant interaction involving formal park activity and young boys (aged 0-5 y) was negatively associated with park-based physical activity.
Activity area and social correlates of park-based physical activity were similar for boys and girls; findings for formal park programming, age, and number of facilities were mixed. Results show that girls' physical activity was more strongly affected by social effects (eg, presence of other active children) whereas boys' physical activity was more strongly influenced by the availability of park facilities. These results can inform park planning and design. Additional studies are necessary to clarify sex differences in correlates of park-based physical activity.
The COVID-19 pandemic altered human behavior around the world. To maintain mental and physical health during periods of lockdown and quarantine, people often engaged in outdoor, physically distanced ...activities such as visits to parks and greenspace. However, research tracking outdoor recreation patterns during the pandemic has yielded inconsistent results, and few studies have explored the impacts of COVID-19 on park use across diverse neighborhoods. We used a mixed methods approach to examine changes in park use patterns in cities across North Carolina, USA, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on impacts in socially vulnerable communities (based on racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic status). First, we surveyed a demographically representative sample of 611 urban residents during August 2020 to assess their use of outdoor park spaces before and during the pandemic. Second, we used cell phone location (i.e., geo-tracking) data to document changes in park visits within 605 socioeconomically diverse urban census tracts before (July 2019) and during (July 2020) the pandemic. Data from both methods revealed urban park use declined during the pandemic; 56% of survey respondents said they stopped or reduced park use, and geo-tracked park visits dropped by 15%. Park users also became more homogenous, with visits increasing the most for past park visitors and declining the most in socially vulnerable communities and among individuals who were BIPOC or lower-income. Our results raise concerns about urban park use during the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest pre-existing health disparities in socially vulnerable communities might be exacerbated by inequitable access and utilization of parks and greenspace.
Background:
Organized sports provide children and adolescents with opportunities to achieve recommended amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and schools are a primary setting for ...sports programs. The main aims of this study were to examine participant physical activity (PA) levels during the most popular high school sports in the United States and to assess the influences of practice contextual factors on PA levels.
Methods:
Participant PA and its contexts were assessed during practices for the 10 most popular girls' and boys' high school sports in the United States. Data were obtained during 598 practice sessions in 12 schools in North Carolina using a validated direct observation instrument (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). A regression model was applied to understand the association between sport context and athletes' PA.
Results:
Overall, athletes were observed engaging in MVPA 60% of practice time. MVPA varied among sports and levels were highly influenced by practice contexts. Among girls' sports, cross country and soccer practices provided the highest proportion of MVPA and MVPA percent during boys' practice sessions was highest during cross country and track and field. Practice contexts were associated with MVPA accrual with time allocated for gameplay and fitness activities associated with the highest levels of PA.
Conclusions:
The results contribute to an understanding of which sports and how their practices are conducted facilitate increased PA. Findings indicate athletes accrue substantial amounts of PA during high school practices, but that it varies from sport to sport. As well, the context that characterizes sport practices is a significant determinant in how much PA occurs. Most sports that emphasized game simulation, fitness, and skill development drills had higher levels of MVPA. Given the length and frequency of practices and how the content is delivered, we can accurately predict how much PA athletes are likely to achieve during a given sport season. The findings from this study demonstrate that sport can make a useful, if not sufficient role in helping high school athletes reach recommended PA levels. PA engagement can be optimized by attending to the management of contexts surrounding the sports.
Background
eHealth technologies offer an efficient method to integrate park prescriptions into clinical practice by primary health care (PHC) providers to help patients improve their health
via
...tailored, nature-based health behavior interventions. This paper describes the protocol of the GoalRx Prescription Intervention (GPI) which was designed to leverage community resources to provide tailored park prescriptions for PHC patients.
Methods
The GPI study was designed as a 3-arm, multi-site observational study. We enrolled low-income, rural adults either at-risk of or living with hypertension or diabetes (
n
= 75) from Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in two counties in North Carolina, USA into the 3-month intervention. Eligible participants self-selected to receive (1) a tailored park prescription intervention; (2) a tailored home/indoor PA prescription intervention; or (3) a healthy eating prescription (with no PA prescription beyond standard PA counseling advice that is already routinely provided in PHC) as the comparison group. The GPI app paired patient health data from the electronic health record with stated patient preferences and triggered app-integrated SMS motivation and compliance messaging directly to the patient. Patients were assessed at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up upon the completion of the intervention. The primary outcome (mean difference in weekly physical activity from baseline (T0) to post-intervention (T1) as measured by the Fitbit Flex 2) was assessed at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included assessment of the relationship between the intervention and biological markers of health, including body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HbA1c or available glucose test (if applicable), and a depression screen score using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Secondary outcomes also included the total number of SMS messages sent, number of SMS messages responded to, number of SMS messages ignored, and opt-out rate.
Discussion
The goal was to create a protocol utilizing eHealth technologies that addressed the specific needs of rural low-income communities and fit into the natural rhythms and processes of the selected FQHC clinics in North Carolina. This protocol offered a higher standard of health care by connecting patients to their PHC teams and increasing patient motivation to make longer-lasting health behavior changes.
Background
School-based extracurricular sport remains an effective strategy to increase physical activity. However, school sport is often limited to a small number of elite athletes. Few schools ...provide more inclusive sport programs that offer a wider array of activities regardless of ability.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to examine school sport participation in middle schools (ages 11–14) with contrasting school sport delivery strategies (intramural vs. interscholastic).
Methods
Data were obtained through an online survey administered to students at four public middle schools (grades 6–8) in a southeastern US city (
n
= 2,582).
Results
More students participated in school sports at intramural schools. Boys were more likely to participate in after-school sports at intramural schools. Low-income and Black children, two groups at greater risk of physical inactivity and other negative outcomes, had greater participation in intramural programs.
Conclusions
After-school intramural sports in middle school is a promising strategy for increasing sport participation.
Within the United States parks and recreation agencies (P&R) manage public facilities, spaces, lands, and recreation programs. Public health (PH) evidence has increasingly pointed to local public P&R ...agencies as critical for promoting preventive health. Programs and strategies are available, but most P&R agencies have limited resources and lack local knowledge on which to base actions. However, the research base is growing. The global research question has shifted from asking IF P&R agencies can positively affect PH factors, to HOW they can best do so with limited resources.This research adapted a systems theory approach to how local public P&R agencies are addressing health factors. Methods included a literature review along with iterative exploration through a three-stage Delphi panel study with 17 P&R agency Expert Panelists in the U.S and Canada. Panelists were identified through a waterfall selection process. Each had at least three years of senior administration experience with interest in addressing PH factors.The study explored which preventive factors appear to be most modifiable by P&R. Results indicated increased physical activity, improved nutrition, enhanced safety or perception of safety, increased social and parental engagement, improved transportation and access to locations (especially nature), and cessation or reduced overconsumption of tobacco and alcohol. However, the priority of factors varies by community, and the continuing challenge is determining the priority of the factors for agencies and their partners to address. Community-specific data are not typically readily available to P&R agencies. Programs, strategies, internal methods, policies, and documents utilized by agencies were collected. Thirty-one related national initiatives (programs) were identified and ranked by the panelists.Key common strategies for P&R were identified. Results indicated a need to focus strategies on leadership and adequate funding to create a strong organizational culture of systematic assessment for addressing PH through allocation of P&R staff and financial resources. Systems thinking analysis and strategies can improve outcomes for cultural ethics of inclusion and equity, equitable access to assets and programs, collaboration with other partners, utilization of crime prevention and environmental design strategies, increased health promotions and education, and centralized tracking and evaluation of feasible measures.Implications for research include needs for additional validation and dissemination of research, evidence-based tools, and proven methods. There continues to be a strong need to help address gaps in knowledge transfer between research and practice realms. Management implications suggest methods for practice to enhance systems-thinking approaches for better preventive health outcomes through P&R in communities.
Abstract Objective To determine the status and common characteristics of shared use in public schools in North Carolina. Method All public school principals (N = 2,359) in North Carolina were invited ...to participate in an online survey (February – May, 2013) designed to provide baseline information about the extent and nature of shared use of school facilities. Results Responses (n = 1182, 50.1%) indicated that most schools share their facilities (88.9%). Formal agreements were more common when schools shared gyms and outdoor athletic fields. Informal agreements were most common with playgrounds and track facilities. Schools with more low income or Black students were less likely to share facilities. For schools that did not share use of their facilities the most frequent reason was no outside groups had ever asked. Conclusion Schools may be more accommodating to shared use partnerships. Community organizations seeking to use indoor school facilities or athletic fields should be prepared to complete a formal written agreement. Preconceived notions that schools are unwilling to share their facilities may be preventing community organizations from initiating shared use inquiries. Schools located in the middle tier of economic distress and schools with a greater concentration of Black students were less likely to share their facilities.
Research question: reductions in public funding for sport and recreation programs have created a vacuum in services that has increasingly been filled by nonprofit organizations. However, nonprofits ...often lack the organizational capacity to efficiently and sustainably deliver sport and recreation programs to the public. Cross-sector partnerships have been highlighted as an effective strategy to build organizational capacity, yet are currently underutilized by youth sport nonprofit organizations. While previous research has focused on functional characteristics of these partnerships, very few studies have examined their broader structural characteristics. Research methods: This study utilized structured interviews to collect quantitative network data from youth sport nonprofits registered in a large Southeastern US city (n = 32) to understand how cross-sector partnerships have been used to build organizational capacity. Using social network analysis, the study uncovers the size and composition of the network, identifies key external actors and industry sectors, and examines the network's underlying balance and stability. Results and findings: Results indicate wide variation in the utilization and composition of partnerships, and an unbalanced structure that may influence their functional characteristics. Implications: The discussion provides empirically grounded recommendations to improve these structural characteristics and help youth sport managers effectively utilize cross-sector partnerships. (Autor).
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