Sport policy and practice: Why a focus on retention of children and young people as sport participants is required for both health and performance

Abstract Background: Australia like many developed countries is largely an inactive nation. Participation in sport, a form of leisure-time physical activity, can contribute to a range of individual and community health benefits. National sport policy often has a dual focus on population-based participation, and elite performance. Whist there are various sport models depicting the pathway to elite, there has been no strategic population-level sport participation pathway model developed as a guide towards increasing sport participation across the lifespan. The aim of this study is to explore sport participation across the lifespan and develop a neutral (conceptual) model that does not favour community or elite sport and that highlights the critical participation transition points including drop-out. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis of sport participation records for 8 major sports from 2015-2017 for children and young people aged 4-29 years. Individual participation within sports was tracked from 2015 and subsequent years 2016 and 2017. Results: The total number of participants was 579,696. Only half 50.8% played continuously for the three years, 44.7% dropped out, and 4.5 played discontinuously. Drop-out was highest for those aged 4 (57.0%), and lowest for those aged 10-14 years (39.3%). From the retention and drop-out participation patterns across the lifespan, in conjunction with the published literature on sport policy and participation, we developed the Sport Participation Pathway Model (SPPM). The SPPM conceptually depicts current sport participation and in doing so emphasises the significant drop-out of sport across the lifespan. Conclusion: Sport policy should focus on retention strategies. Further, a population level, competitive club-based sport alone is not going to solve the physical inactivity epidemic. Our SPPM, and the new (retention related) data presented in this paper, demonstrates the population trends in participation in sport and the high drop-out of competitive club-based sport. We suggest that for people to eventually become active sport participants, the recruitment narrative could be changed towards, first, engaging people in leisure time physical activities. We feel that this can only be done by developing an integrated policy system across the physical activity-sport spectrum rather than looking at sport participation in a closed (club-based) system.

Sport policy and practice: Why a focus on retention of sport participants is required for both health and performance

10.21203/rs.3.rs-19573/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rochelle Eime ◽

Melanie Charity ◽

Hans Westerbeek

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Drop Out ◽

Retention Data ◽

Pathway Model ◽

Significant Drop ◽

Abstract Background: Australia like many developed countries is largely an inactive nation. Participation in sport, a form of leisure-time physical activity, can contribute to a range of individual and community health benefits. National sport policy often has a dual focus on population-based participation, and elite performance. Whist there are various sport models depicting the pathway to elite, there has been no strategic population-level sport participation pathway model developed as a guide towards increasing sport participation. The aim of this study is to explore sport participation across age groups and develop a neutral (conceptual) model that does not favour community or elite sport and that highlights the critical participation transition points including drop-out, and specifically for children and youth. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis of sport participation records for 8 major sports from 2015-2017 for children and young people aged 4-29 years. Individual participation within sports was tracked from 2015 and subsequent years 2016 and 2017. Results: The total number of participants was 579,696. Only half 50.8% played continuously for the three years, 44.7% dropped out, and 4.5 played discontinuously. Drop-out was highest for those aged 4 (57.0%), and lowest for those aged 10-14 years (39.3%). From the retention and drop-out participation patterns across the lifespan, in conjunction with the published literature on sport policy and participation, we developed the Sport Participation Pathway Model (SPPM). The SPPM conceptually depicts sport participation and in doing so emphasises the significant drop-out of sport. Conclusion: The retention data and the SPPM, demonstrates the trends in participation in sport and the high drop-out of competitive club-based sport. Those who manage and govern sport need to better recognise that club-based sport is merely one component of a range of leisure-time physical activities. If sport is to have an increased impact on making populations more active, then the evidence about the participation patterns and significant drop-out should be used to justify a re-focus on retention. We also recommend that the collection, analysis and reporting of longitudinal physical activity and sport participation data is expanded, to better serve policy evaluation and redirection.

Sport policy and practice: Why a focus on retention is required for both health and performance

10.21203/rs.3.rs-19573/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Rochelle Eime ◽

Melanie Charity ◽

Hans Westerbeek

Keyword(s):

Leisure Time ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Population Level ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Drop Out ◽

Participation Rates ◽

Pathway Model ◽

Significant Drop ◽

Abstract Background: Australia like many developed countries is largely an inactive nation. Participation in sport, a form of leisure-time physical activity, can contribute to a range of individual and community health benefits. National sport policy often has a dual focus on population-based participation, and elite performance. Whist there are various sport models depicting the pathway to elite, there has been no strategic population-level sport participation pathway model developed as a guide towards increasing sport participation across the lifespan. The aim of this study therefore is to explore sport participation across the lifespan and develop a neutral model that does not favour community or elite sport and that highlights the critical participation transition points including drop-out. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis of sport participation records for 8 major sports from 2015-2017, whereby individual participation within sports was tracked from 2015 and subsequent years 2016 and 2017. Results: The total number of participants analysed was 579,696. In 2017, port participation rates were highest for those aged 10-14 years (61.3%), followed by those children within the 5-9 year age group (51.7%). However, 44.7% of all participants dropped out within two years of the base year. From these participation rates across the lifespan in conjunction with the published literature, on sport policy and participation, we developed the Sport Participation Pathway Model (SPPM). The SPPM depicts current sport participation and in doing so emphasises the significant drop-out of sport across the lifespan. Conclusion: At a population level, competitive club-based sport alone is not going to solve the physical inactivity epidemic. Our SPPM, and the new (retention related) data presented in this paper, demonstrates the population trends in participation in sport and the high drop-out of competitive club-based sport. We suggest that for people to (eventually) become active sport participants, the (recruitment) narrative could be changed towards (first) engaging people in leisure time physical activities. We feel that this can only be done by developing an integrated policy system across the PA-sport spectrum rather than looking at sport participation in a closed (club-based) system. The SPPM can be used to developing a more integrated PA-Sport participation model.

The Physical Activity and Sport Participation Framework—A Policy Model Toward Being Physically Active Across the Lifespan

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living ◽

10.3389/fspor.2021.608593 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Hans Westerbeek ◽

Rochelle Eime

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Policy Development ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Population Based ◽

Physically Active ◽

Policy Model ◽

The changing social and policy context in which sport is produced, delivered, and consumed is considered as a foundation for proposing a new integrated framework that incorporates participation in sport with participation in leisure-time physical activity (PA) more broadly. In order to position sport in the broader context of leisure-time PA, the concept of physical literacy is reviewed and integrated into the theoretical foundations of a new lifespan framework. It is argued that historically, sport policy largely focused on competitive club-based sport and elite performance and that in line with this, talent development pathway models were developed and implemented. However, with increasing physical inactivity globally, these models do not apply to the general population. This is why we propose a population-based “whole of sport ecosystem” lifespan model—the Physical Activity and Sport Participation (PASP) framework. We conclude that this framework may serve as a holistic policy and implementation guide for all in the sport ecosystem. This includes governmental PA and sport policy makers, sport governing bodies and clubs, and the ever-increasing range of private PA and sport providers and also health agencies. In recognition of the changing patterns of participation in PA and sport across the lifespan, the PASP framework can contribute to coordinated and integrated PA and sport policy development, which, in turn, can lead to strategies that tackle the global physical inactivity crisis.

Results from England’s 2014 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2014-0165 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (s1) ◽

pp. S45-S50 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Martyn Standage ◽

Hannah J. Wilkie ◽

Russell Jago ◽

Charlie Foster ◽

Mary A. Goad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Sport Participation ◽

Report Card ◽

Active Transportation ◽

Sedentary Behaviors ◽

Organized Sport ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Systematic Assessment ◽

Letter Grades ◽

Nationally Representative

Background:The Active Healthy Kids 2014 England Report Card aims to provide a systematic assessment of how England is performing in relation to engaging and facilitating physical activity (PA) in children and young people.Methods:The systematic methods and processes that underpin the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card were used and adapted. Data and evidence were consolidated, reviewed by a panel of content experts, and used to inform the assignment of letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) to 9 core indicators related to PA.Results:Children’s Overall Physical Activity received a grade of C/D. Active Transportation and Organized Sport Participation received grades of C and C-, respectively. The indicators of School and Community and the Built Environment were graded favorable with grades of A- and B, respectively. Active Play, Sedentary Behaviors, Family and Peers, and Government Strategies and Investments were graded as INC (incomplete) due to a lack of nationally representative data and/or as a result of data not mapping onto the benchmarks used to assign the grades.Conclusions:Substantial provision for PA opportunities in England exists. Yet more effort is required to maximize use of these resources to increase PA participation.

Declining Physical Activity and the Socio-Cultural Context of the Geography of Industrial Restructuring: A Novel Conceptual Framework

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2012-0173 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 683-692 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Esther Rind ◽

Andy Jones

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Population Level ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Industrial Restructuring ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Industrial Change ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Sociocultural Processes ◽

Employment Decline

Background:At the population level, the prevalence of physical activity has declined considerably in many developed countries in recent decades. There is some evidence that areas exhibiting the lowest activity levels are those which have undergone a particularly strong transition away from employment in physically demanding occupations. We propose that processes of deindustrialization may be causally linked to unexplained geographical disparities in levels of physical activity. While the sociocultural correlates of physical activity have been well studied, and prior conceptual frameworks have been developed to explain more general patterns of activity, none have explicitly attempted to identify the components of industrial change that may impact physical activity.Methods:In this work we review the current literature on sociocultural correlates of health behaviors before using a case study centered on the United Kingdom to present a novel framework that links industrial change to declining levels of physical activity.Results:We developed a comprehensive model linking sociocultural correlates of physical activity to processes associated with industrial restructuring and discuss implication for policy and practice.Conclusions:A better understanding of sociocultural processes may help to ameliorate adverse health consequences of employment decline in communities that have experienced substantial losses of manual employment.

Promoting a healthy diet and physical activity for children and young people -the evidence

Looking after Children in Primary Care ◽

10.1201/9781315376486-8 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 77-90

Author(s):

Kirsty Licence

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Young People ◽

Healthy Diet ◽

Children And Young People ◽

Diet And Physical Activity

Perceived autonomy support and motivation in young people: A comparative investigation of physical education and leisure-time in four countries

Europe’s Journal of Psychology ◽

10.5964/ejop.v15i3.1735 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 509-530 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Istvan Soos ◽

Ibolya Dizmatsek ◽

Jonathan Ling ◽

Adedokun Ojelabi ◽

Jaromir Simonek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Education ◽

Young People ◽

Autonomy Support ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Autonomous Motivation ◽

European Countries ◽

Perceived Autonomy Support ◽

Current Behaviour

Physical education focuses on the development of sports skills as well as fitness for health. In Central European countries there has been a shift in these focuses since the fall of Communism to follow internationally-recognised health-related physical activity recommendations, similar to Western European countries. In this study we investigated the extent to which motivation from school physical education transfers to leisure-time physical activity providing autonomy support by three social agents: school (physical education teachers), family and peers. Our study utilised the Aetological Approach (AA), Ecological Model (EM) and the Trans-Contextual Model (TCM) that consists of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explore how autonomous motivation is transferred between contexts (physical education, leisure-time and current behaviour). Nine-hundred and seventy-four students aged 11–18 (55% girls) participated in our study from four countries: Hungary, United Kingdom, Romania and Slovakia. A prospective research design was employed, and questionnaires were administered at three time points. Using 7-point Likert scales, attitude, usefulness, and affectiveness were measured. Furthermore, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (PBC) were tested within TPB. Autonomous and controlling motivation were measured within SDT by administering the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise questionnaires (BREQ and BREQ-2). Finally, past physical activity, intention and current physical activity behaviours were tested. Results indicated that perceived autonomy support from family and friends predicted autonomous motivation towards leisure-time physical activity in all four countries. However, teachers’ behaviour in some Eastern European countries did not predict this transfer. In general, in line with previous literature, boys reported more physical activity than girls. A strong influencing factor in the path model was that past behaviour predicted current behaviour, and according to that factor, boys reported being more active than girls.Boys also perceived more support from PE teachers than girls which was likely to have influenced their autonomous motivation in PE, which in turn transferred to leisure time. We discuss these results in the context of theories exploring the role of motivation and social environment on children’s choices related to physical activity. In conclusion, we suggest providing more autonomy support, especially by schools, for the enhancement of autonomous motivation of young people to promote their leisure time physical activity.