This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on youth sport parents based on competition level to understand how the pandemic affected youth sport and factors associated with youth returning to sport. ...Survey data were collected from samples of US sport parents in two waves - early in the pandemic (N = 751) and as programs began to resume (N = 707). Data showed elite sport parents were more willing to return. Although most participants returned to play, significant numbers had not resumed participation. Parent comfort was the most important factor associated with resuming. However, parents allowed children to resume play due to perceived external pressure, potentially creating stress among parents regarding sport participation decisions. Attending school in person and household income were associated with the ability to resume sport suggesting the need to provide school sport environments and consider the financial impacts of COVID-19 on sport families.
Research on race and ethnicity in leisure will take on greater significance in coming years. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine research related to race and ethnicity within five ...major leisure journals since their inception to discern quantity of research, thematic patterns in topical areas and to document the research methods used. This assessment identified 150 articles related to race and ethnicity. Nineteen thematic categories were identified. Articles with conceptual discussions, activity and participation studies, and outdoor recreation/forest-based recreation occurred most frequently. Similar to other analyses of the literature, survey research was the most frequently used method of data collection. The discussion focuses on implications for future research on race and ethnicity in leisure studies.
To address the growing health challenges faced by college students, campus recreation departments have evolved from a primary university intramural sport setting to organizations that have an ...increased emphasis on student recruitment, retention, and overall wellness. Among the strategies used to attract and engage students in campus recreation programs and services, health coaching shows some promise as a potentially effective intervention strategy. This study examined the efficacy of a university campus recreation health coaching program. Students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines (n = 34) were provided with individual, group, and virtual support to assist in developing effective strategies for academic success. Fitbit data measuring participants’ sleep and physical activity were collected along with self-reported measures of stress and perceived happiness and focus group qualitative data focused on participants’ perceptions of the program. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the program to adapt, findings suggest that health coaching may be an effective intervention strategy to help university students cope with the heightened anxiety and stress levels associated with campus life.
We interviewed advocacy organisations campaigning for human rights.
We explore the roles and relationships between mega sport event stakeholders with respect to human rights.
We found that mega sport ...event stakeholders recognize the importance of, and accept responsibility for, human rights.
We found that building trust with, while protecting the independence of, advocacy organisations is important.
We found that advocacy organizations have moved away from shaming to a more collaborative approach with awarding bodies.
We recommend that event governance and monitoring need to be implemented before and after the event.
Non-governmental organisations have sought to enshrine progressive and ethical principles, protocols, and practices into governance arrangements for mega sport events. Evidence on whether, and how, they influence awarding bodies and events for the better, however, is scarce. Two research questions guided the present research: What role human rights advocacy organisations play at different stages of the event lifecycle? What is the nature of relationships between advocacy organisations and event awarding bodies to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded into decision-making processes? The authors conducted interviews with representatives from three advocacy organisations campaigning for human rights, two event awarding bodies and two intermediary organisations. A thematic analysis revealed four central themes: accepting responsibility for human rights; considering events as human-rights leveraging opportunity; facilitating within-coalition balance and independence of advocacy organisations; and implementing good governance and structural change. The findings contribute to the understanding of advocacy organisations within the sport event context by identifying relevant roles and relationships (including success factors and burdens on human rights).
This study's purpose was to assess the opportunities for North Carolina adolescents to be physically active in extracurricular middle school environments and to compare opportunities across community ...types.
Data were analyzed based on the results of an electronic questionnaire distributed to a sample of 431 schools with a response rate of 75.4% (N = 325).
Nearly all schools offered interscholastic sports while fewer than half offered intramurals or noncompetitive activities to students. "Open gym" was offered at only 35% of schools, while 24% of schools offered extracurricular activities to students with disabilities. Overall, 43.4% of schools offered special transportation to students who participated in some extracurricular physical activities. Schools in rural areas generally offered fewer programs and had fewer supports than schools located in more urbanized areas. Over two-thirds of rural schools offered no extracurricular programs other than interscholastic sports.
Schools can be important settings for physical activity. North Carolina's middle schools and its rural schools in particular, are falling short in efforts to provide extracurricular physical activity programming recommended by researchers and policy groups. Lower accessibility to extracurricular physical activities may partially contribute to higher levels of physical inactivity found in the state.
The study examined middle school females' perceptions of physical activity, eating, and physical health within a leisure context. A qualitative approach was used to gain a deeper understanding of the ...significance girls place on health behaviors and factors that go into their decisions about leisure time activity and eating. Four focus groups were conducted with 28 girls in 6th through 8th grades. Four themes emerged from the analyses: perceptions of health, family, and food, social norms, and enjoyment. Results are summarized regarding how healthy diets and physical activity participation in adolescent girls can be associated with promoting enjoyable leisure. Theoretical implications of these data relate to the importance of enjoyment and leisure as prerequisites for healthy behaviors and how social cognitive theory helps explain these relationships.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
Partnerships between school districts and community‐based organizations to share school facilities during afterschool hours can be an effective strategy for increasing physical ...activity. However, the perceived cost of shared use has been noted as an important reason for restricting community access to schools. This study examined shared use of middle school facilities, the amount and type of afterschool physical activity programs provided at middle schools together with the costs of operating the facilities.
METHODS
Afterschool programs were assessed for frequency, duration, and type of structured physical activity programs provided and the number of boys and girls in each program. School operating costs were used to calculate a cost per student and cost per building square foot measure. Data were collected at all 30 middle schools in a large school district over 12 months in 2010‐2011.
RESULTS
Policies that permitted more use of school facilities for community‐sponsored programs increased participation in afterschool programs without a significant increase in operating expenses.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest partnerships between schools and other community agencies to share facilities and create new opportunities for afterschool physical activity programs are a promising health promotion strategy.
Shared use of recreational facilities is a promising strategy for increasing access to places for physical activity. Little is known about shared use in faith-based settings. This study examined ...shared use practices and barriers in faith communities in North Carolina.
Faith communities in North Carolina (n = 234) completed an online survey (October-December 2013) designed to provide information about the extent and nature of shared use of recreational facilities. We used binary logistic regression to examine differences between congregations that shared use and those that did not share use.
Most of the faith communities (82.9%) that completed the survey indicated that they share their facilities with outside individuals and organizations. Formal agreements were more common when faith communities shared indoor spaces such as gymnasiums and classroom meeting spaces than when they shared outdoor spaces such as playgrounds or athletic fields. Faith communities in the wealthiest counties were more likely to share their spaces than were faith communities in poorer counties. Faith communities in counties with the best health rankings were more likely to share facilities than faith communities in counties that had lower health rankings. The most frequently cited reasons faith communities did not share their facilities were that they did not know how to initiate the process of sharing their facilities or that no outside groups had ever asked.
Most faith communities shared their facilities for physical activity. Research is needed on the relationship between shared use and physical activity levels, including the effect of formalizing shared-use policies.
Findings from empirical studies on the legacy of hosting a mega sporting event are inconclusive. This paper considers empirical studies published in English language peer-reviewed journals between ...1997 and 2016 to identify trends and gaps in current knowledge related to event-attributed changes in structures, consequences, and stakeholder evaluations. Following systematic literature search guidelines, 233 articles (238 studies) were coded. The authors assessed structural changes, consequences, and stakeholder evaluations. Contextual factors, such as type of event, timeframe, and geographical location were also considered, as well as research design, methods, and a risk of bias assessment. Most studies considered structural changes per se, without further specification (such as the urban and human level). Economic and social consequences were the two most often considered consequences. The range of stakeholders considered in the studies was diverse, although host city residents received the most research attention. The mapping helps scholars better understand dominant themes, critically appraise studies as well as identify gaps in existing research. The authors discuss managerial implications and propose research directions that address concerns: unclear definition and biased selection of relevant stakeholder groups, short legacy timeframes, and the low-level evidence for cause-effect relationships in the legacy production process.
Purpose.
To examine which school sports engage children in more physical activity.
Design.
Observational, cross-sectional study examining differences between intramural (IM) and interscholastic (IS) ...sports.
Setting.
Athletic facilities at two schools with IM sports and two schools with IS sports in Wake County, North Carolina.
Subjects.
Middle-school children (N = 6735)
Measures.
Percentage of children observed in sedentary, moderate, and vigorous activity assessed by the System for Observation Play and Leisure Among Youth (SOPLAY). Energy expenditure and physical activity intensity were also estimated by using MET values.
Analysis.
T-tests; generalized linear model using cumulative logit link function.
Results.
IM sports had higher MET values than IS sports (t = −3.69, p < .001), and IM sports ranked in four of the top five sports in terms of average MET values. Regression models found a significant interaction between school sport delivery model and gender, with boys significantly less physically active in IS programs than boys in IM programs (B = –.447, p < .001) but more physically active (B = .359, p < .001) than girls in IM sports.
Conclusion.
Regardless of sport type, IM sports generated more physical activity than IS sports among boys but not girls. Soccer, basketball, and track, regardless of school delivery approach, provide the highest physical activity levels. Results suggest that school administrators consider reassessing their programs to more efficiently use diminishing resources to increase students' physical activity levels.
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