Empirical research on the effects of school sport policies on children's physical activity is limited. This study examined sport policies (intramural vs. varsity), physical settings within schools, ...and supervision in relation to physical activity using the System for Observing Play and Leisure in Youth (SOPLAY). Data were collected on physical activity levels of children in four middle schools. Regression analyses assessed the main effects of sport policy, type of physical activity setting, and supervision as well as interactions. Regression models were stratified by gender. Children in intramural schools were more likely to use indoor spaces and be boys. Regression models indicated that varsity sport programs were associated with lower physical activity levels among boys but not girls. Significant associations between type of physical activity settings and physical activity levels were observed only for boys. Adult supervision was not associated with children's physical activity levels. Finally, descriptive results showed athletic facilities were under-utilized in all schools.
► School sport policies and their effect on children's physical activity were examined. ► Competitive varsity sports were associated with lower physical activity levels among boys. ► Intramural school participants were more likely to be boys and use indoor spaces. ► Physical activity settings were associated with higher activity levels among boys but not girls. ► Athletic facilities were under-utilized in all schools.
Extracurricular school sports programs can provide adolescents, including those who are economically disadvantaged, with opportunities to engage in physical activity. Although current models favor ...more exclusionary interscholastic sports, a better understanding is needed of the potential effects of providing alternative school sports options, such as more inclusive intramural sports. The purpose of this study was to simulate the potential effect of implementing intramural sports programs in North Carolina middle schools on both the rates of sports participation and on energy expenditure related to physical activity levels.
Simulations were conducted by using a school-level data set developed by integrating data from multiple sources. Baseline rates of sports participation were extrapolated from individual-level data that were based on school-level characteristics. A regression model was estimated by using the simulated baseline school-level sample. Participation rates and related energy expenditure for schools were calculated on the basis of 2 policy change scenarios.
Currently, 37.2% of school sports participants are economically disadvantaged. Simulations suggested that policy changes to implement intramural sports along with interscholastic sports could result in more than 43,000 new sports participants statewide, of which 64.5% would be economically disadvantaged students. This estimate represents a 36.75% increase in economically disadvantaged participants. Adding intramural sports to existing interscholastic sports programs at all middle schools in North Carolina could have an annual effect of an additional 819,892.65 kilogram calories expended statewide.
Implementing intramural sports may provide economically disadvantaged students more access to sports, thus reducing disparities in access to school sports while increasing overall physical activity levels among all children.
According to the National Council on Youth Sports, millions of youth in the United States participate in sport each year. Research and evaluation have further elucidated the role of sport in positive ...youth development (PYD) by specifying that intentional programming is key to facilitating PYD outcomes (Gould & Carson, 2008; Petitpas et al., 2005). Scholars have also asserted that the processes or outcomes associated with youth sport participation must be considered within family contexts (Kirk et al., 1997). The family context, however, has remained largely unexplored in research on sport and PYD outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role and influence of families in a sport-based life skills program targeting positive youth development outcomes among an underserved youth population. Thirty-six youth aged 7 to 15 participated in a Hockey is For Everyone (HIFE) program, the official youth development program of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the Southeastern United States. HIFE, which aims to provide youth of all backgrounds the opportunity to learn and play ice hockey, was paired with a specific life skills curriculum: the Sports United to Promote Education and Recreation (SUPER) curriculum (Papacharisis et al., 2005). The combined HIFE-SUPER program was delivered over 11 weeks. Parents were recruited via their children’s enrollment. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of youth and parents. Themes emerging from the data suggested the sport-based life skills program and participants’ families were reciprocally influential, and that this may have shaped opportunities for PYD outcomes. Findings indicated that family members and family contexts were an active part of the acquisition and application of life skills. Parents and youth perceived changes in behaviors (specifically, increased competencies) related to the life skills taught in the program, and these changes persisted after the program ended. Family presence and family involvement supported the acquisition and application of life skills, and youth participation in the program created opportunities for bonding and reinforcement and recognition of positive changes within families. Subscribe to JPRA
As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, there has been a growing concern about the ability of the National Park Service (NPS) to remain relevant to individuals from different backgrounds, ...establish deeper connections with future generations, and to address the underrepresentation of diverse groups among national park visitors and in the NPS workforce. Implementing successful diversity and inclusion programs to foster relevancy, diversity and inclusion (RDI) is critical for the agency's future. As the NPS implements RDI programs system wide, an assessment of current programs and initiatives is timely, providing information on the extent of follow-through, given policy directives and calls for increased focus on diversity in management. Thus, the purpose of this study was to catalogue NPS RDI programs targeting the areas of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, economic status, gender, non-English speakers, tribal communities, urban populations, and veteran status, as well as examine some of the key characteristics related to the management and administration of these programs. In fall 2016, NPS employees were invited to participate in a comprehensive online inventory of RDI programs implemented between 2005 and 2016. A total of 161 park units participated, yielding a park unit response rate of 39%. A total of 1,359 RDI programs were reported, resulting in an average of 2.68 diversity aspects per program. Age (n=662; 17.7%), ethnicity (n=456; 12.2%), race (n=434; 11.6%), economic status (n=391; 10.4%), and urban population (n=361; 9.6%) were the dominant aspects of diversity reported across the RDI programs and initiates. The majority of the reported RDI programs (61.6%) were located in three regions: Northeast (n = 364; 26.8%), Midwest (n = 247; 18.2%), and Intermountain (n = 225; 16.6%) and concentrated in one of two emphasis areas: Co-creation and Community Engagement (n=563; 41.4%) and Connecting Youth with Our Mission (n=251; 18.4%). Nearly half of the identified programs (n=645; 47.5%) focused on an external audience such as visitors and 497 (36.6%) programs focused on both an external and internal audience. The number of new RDI programs has steadily increased from 16 new programs in 2006 to 256 new programs in 2016. Of the 1,359 RDI programs, 17.7% (n=240) of reported RDI programs are conducted annually. Internal funding supported 61.7% (n=838) of the reported RDI programs. For the collaboration structure, 42.8% (n=581) of programs collaborated internally and 53.9% (n=733) relied upon external collaborations. These findings were discussed based upon previous NPS management scholarship as well as Stanfield McCown's (2011, 2012) conceptual model comprised of six connected themes critical to the success of NPS diversity efforts. The discussion also presented several managerial recommendations for the NPS such as refocusing efforts to broaden the amount of diversity aspects represented in RDI programming, creating more repeat programs to ensure youth and community members establish long-term relationships, initiating more RDI programs specifically for internal audiences, increasing external funding sources, and cultivating external partnerships to improve program sustainability. Keywords Diversity, inclusion, National Park Service, organizational culture, relevancy
Disadvantaged rural youth may be especially at risk for obesity and poorer health due to physical inactivity. Research suggests that extracurricular school programs can increase physical activity for ...this population. This study sought to determine whether local differences existed in the availability of supportive environments for extracurricular physical activity in North Carolina middle schools. Multiple data sources, including a self-administered questionnaire to personnel at 325 schools were integrated. Multilevel models were estimated using a composite index for supportive environments as the dependent variable and school compositional factors, economic resources, and community social factors as explanatory variables. Study findings suggested adolescents living in socioeconomically deprived rural areas had fewer environmental resources for extracurricular physical activity. Rural schools in poor areas of the state with high racial heterogeneity demonstrated the lowest environmental support. Reduced availability of supportive school environments may be one factor contributing to physical inactivity in the state.
This study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the physical activity, social connections, and psychological well-being of seniors who participate in the sport of pickleball. A total of 36 ...pickleball players who were over the age of 65 completed an online survey that assessed pickleball participation, social connections, physical/mental health, loneliness, and life satisfaction measures in February/March 2020 (pre-COVID) and again in November 2020 (during COVID). Findings indicated that a majority of the participants are still playing pickleball outdoors, but less frequently. They reported lower social connections through pickleball and in their daily life. While perceived physical health scores were stable, participants reported significantly lower mental health, higher loneliness, and lower life satisfaction during the pandemic. Those playing less pickleball were significantly more likely to report lower life satisfaction during the pandemic. The findings from this study have implications for both leisure practitioners and public health professionals as they strategize ways to continue to offer recreation experiences safely.
Organized sport is viewed as a viable medium for promoting more physical activity among youth. However, participation in youth sport declines significantly among both boys and girls during their ...middle school years. This study examined middle school students' perceived constraints to sport participation.
Middle school students from 4 schools (6th-8th grade, N = 2465) completed a web based survey (97.3% response rate). Descriptive analysis, t tests, and ANOVA were used to assess extent of perceived constraints and differences among demographic and sport participation level subgroups.
The most salient constraint perceived by respondents was time, while knowledge was perceived as the lowest among the overall sample. Significant (P < .01) differences in perceived constraints were found among all comparisons groups. Girls, Latinos, lower SES students, and students who did not play sports reported more constraints than respective comparisons groups.
The sociodemographic characteristics of middle school students appear to be a significant factor in their perception of constraints to sport participation. Identifying constraints associated with sport participation can enable policy-makers and administrators to be more deliberate in channeling resources.
•Sport for development (SFD) research has been critiqued for “individual-oriented” approaches to positive youth development (PYD).•Community capacity building provides a complementary framework for ...youth SFD organizations to also promote community capacity.•Youth SFD organizations offer a unique context to promote PYD and community capacity, but must be strategically managed to do so.•Promoting community capacity can enhance youth-context interactions outside program context, and promote sustainable development.
Positive youth development (PYD) is the most popular framework guiding sport-for-development (SFD) research. To date, much of this work has focused on how sport programs are purposefully designed to promote PYD outcomes. However, the youth-context interactions that form the theoretical basis of PYD occur across all aspects of youth ecologies, meaning youth SFD organizations are most effective when they enhance the capacity of communities as well. Although the need to expand current youth-centred perspectives has been noted by SFD scholars, implementing this insight into practice has proven difficult. In this paper, the authors provide a conceptual advancement to the literature through three objectives. First, a theoretical basis for linking PYD and community capacity frameworks is provided. Second, specific capacity building strategies are critically explored within the context of youth SFD organizations. Third, a community capacity building approach to sport-based PYD is presented and discussed in light of key considerations.
Due to the increasing number of children participating in sport, sport clubs and organizations have been identified as an important setting to facilitate physical activity and health promotion. The ...purpose of this study was to examine whether new national policies for sport practice increases physical activity time without compromising skill development time. Two comparative samples of youth sport leagues with contrasting sport practice models were evaluated for one year. Eighty-two recreational league hockey practices (ages 9-10). Of the practices, 43 used the new approach while 39 operated under a traditional structure. Momentary time sampling was used to measure player physical activity levels and the practice context in which they occur. A Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) score was calculated for each practice. Participants spent 44% of practice time engaged in sedentary activities, 33% in moderate physical activity, and 23% in vigorous physical activity. While individual minutes in MVPA and MET scores did not differ significantly between the practice types, new model practices provided overall higher MET hours than traditional practices. New model practices also accommodated approximately 60% more players while having twice as many coaches, a lower player-to-coach ratio, higher percentage of time in vigorous physical activity, and more time dedicated to skill drills/activities. Findings suggest sport practices can be structured to facilitate high levels of physical activity for more children without compromising attention to skill development and instruction.Resumen. Objetivo: Debido al creciente número de niños que participan en el deporte, los clubes y organizaciones deportivas han sido identificados como un marco importante para facilitar la actividad física y promoción de la salud. El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar si las nuevas políticas nacionales para la práctica del deporte aumentan el tiempo de actividad física sin comprometer el tiempo de desarrollo de habilidades. Se evaluaron durante un año dos muestras comparativas de las ligas deportivas juveniles con modelos contrapuestos de entrenamientos en el deporte. Métodos: Ochenta y dos practicantes a nivel recreativo de la liga de hockey (edades entre 9-10 años). De los entrenamientos, 43 utilizaron el nuevo enfoque mientras que en 39 se trabajó con una estructura tradicional. El muestreo de tiempo momentáneo se utilizó para medir los niveles de actividad física del jugador y el contexto de la práctica en que se producen. Se calculó la puntuación de un equivalente metabólico de tareas (MET) de cada entrenamiento. Resultados: Los participantes dedicaron un 44% del tiempo de la práctica a actividades sedentarias, un 33% en actividad física moderada y el 23% en actividad física vigorosa. Mientras los minutos individuales en AFMV y puntuaciones en MET no difieren significativamente entre los tipos de entrenamiento, los entrenamientos en el nuevo modelo proporcionan valores superiores de MET que los entrenamientos tradicionales. Los entrenamientos del nuevo modelo también acomodan aproximadamente un 60% más de jugadores al tener el doble de entrenadores, un menor ratio de jugador a entrenador, mayor porcentaje de tiempo en actividades físicas vigorosas, y más tiempo dedicado al desarrollo de ejercicios/actividades. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que los entrenamientos deportivos pueden ser estructurados para facilitar altos niveles de actividad física para más niños sin comprometer la atención sobre el desarrollo de habilidades y la enseñanza.
This scoping review integrates literature from diverse perspectives to better understand when and how management of major sport events promotes or harms human rights. The authors critically review ...130 peer-reviewed English language articles to identify conceptual contributions to research
and practice. The findings reveal that politics and political reform, legal frameworks, and organizational actions are crucial influences in when and how management of events promotes or harms human rights. The most frequently considered rights in the literature are: equality, human trafficking
related, sport as a human right, worker rights, and freedom of residence. Activism for human rights stimulates change within relevant stakeholders via collaboration, naming and shaming, in-public debates, and media coverage. The committed, transparent, and inclusive consideration of human
rights in all stages of managing sport events (from bid preparation, bidding, planning, and hosting to postevent leverage) may increase the likelihood that the event has social benefits.
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