Health promotion in sports clubs is receiving increased attention, but its benefits have not been widely evaluated for two reasons: (1) the difficulty in measuring ecological approach outcomes and (2) the existing literature having focused more on coaches’ efficiency rather than on health promotion. This article analyses the relationship between coaches’ health promotion activities, sports experience and health among adult sports participants.
Design:
A cross-sectional study using self-reported measurement among 204 adult sports participants (Mage = 49.05). A questionnaire measuring demographics, coaches’ health promotion activities (healthy lifestyle, substance use and respect for oneself and others), sports experience (enjoyment, subjective vitality) and health (perceived health and quality of life, self-esteem) was completed either before or after a training session.
Setting:
Sixteen sports clubs in France
Method:
Multilevel analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between health promotion, sports experience and health outcomes, while t-tests compared differences between male adult and youth samples.
Results:
Adult perceptions of coaches’ health promotion activities were linked to enjoyment, perceived health and subjective vitality. The topic ‘healthy lifestyle’ was related to enjoyment and perceived health among adults. The topic ‘respect for oneself and others’ was related to self-esteem.
Conclusion:
Adult and youth perceptions of coaches’ health promotion activities vary and are linked to different health outcomes. More research is needed to better identify the benefits of health promotion in sports clubs for sports participants, including longitudinal studies to explore causal relationships between variables.
AllenderSCowburnGFosterC (2006) Understanding participation in sport and physical activity among children and adults: A review of qualitative studies. Health Education Research21: 826–835.
2.
BenjaminsMRHummerRAEbersteinIW, et al. (2004) Self-reported health and adult mortality risk: An analysis of cause-specific mortality. Social Sciences and Medicine59: 1297–1306.
3.
CantrilH (1965) The Pattern of Human Concerns. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
4.
CaseyMHarveyJEimeR, et al. (2012a) Examining changes in the organisational capacity and sport-related health promotion policies and practices of State Sporting Organizations. Annals of Leisure Research15: 261–276.
5.
CaseyMMPayneWREimeRM (2012b) Organisational readiness and capacity building strategies of sporting organisations to promote health. Sport Management Review15: 109–124.
6.
CaseyMMPayneWRBrownSJ, et al. (2009) Engaging community sport and recreation organisations in population health interventions: Factors affecting the formation, implementation, and institutionalisation of partnerships efforts. Annals of Leisure Research12: 129–147.
7.
CurrieCGabhainnSNGodeauE, et al. (2009) The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National (HBSC) study: Origins, concept, history and development 1982–2008. International Journal of Public Health54: 131–139.
8.
DonaldsonAFinchCF (2012) Sport as a setting for promoting health. British Journal of Sports Medicine46(1): 4–5.
9.
DoorisM (2006) Healthy settings: Challenges to generating evidence of effectiveness. Health Promotion International21: 55–65.
10.
DoorisMWillsJNewtonJ (2014) Theorizing healthy settings: A critical discussion with reference to Healthy Universities. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health42: 7–16.
11.
DudaJLQuestedEHaugE, et al. (2013) Promoting Adolescent health through an intervention aimed at improving the quality of their participation in Physical Activity (PAPA): Background to the project and main trial protocol. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology11: 319–327.
12.
EimeRMYoungJAHarveyJT, et al. (2013) A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: Informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity10: 98.
GeidneSKokkoSLaneA, et al. (2019) Health promotion interventions in sports clubs: Can we talk about a setting-based approach? A systematic mapping review. Health Education & Behavior46: 592–601.
15.
HontaM (2016) The state and management of partnership arrangements in France: An analysis of the implementation of the ‘Sport, Health and Well-being’ plan. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics8: 577–591.
16.
JohnsonSVuilleminAGeidneS, et al. (2019) Measuring health promotion in sports club settings: A modified Delphi study. Health Education & Behavior29: ckz186.475.
17.
KokkoS (2014a) Guidelines for youth sports clubs to develop, implement, and assess health promotion within its activities. Health Promotion Practice15: 373–382.
18.
KokkoS (2014b) Sports clubs as settings for health promotion: Fundamentals and an overview to research. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health42: 60–65.
19.
KokkoSGreenLWKannasL (2014) A review of settings-based health promotion with applications to sports clubs. Health Promotion International29: 494–509.
20.
KokkoSKannasLVillbergJ (2009) Health promotion profile of youth sports clubs in Finland: Club officials’ and coaches’ perceptions. Health Promotion International24: 26–35.
21.
KokkoSMartinLGeidneS, et al. (2019) Does sports club participation contribute to physical activity among children and adolescents? A comparison across six European countries. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health47: 851–858.
22.
KokkoSSelänneHAlankoL, et al. (2015a) Health promotion activities of sports clubs and coaches, and health and health behaviours in youth participating in sports clubs: The Health Promoting Sports Club study. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine1: e000034.
23.
KokkoSVillbergJKannasL (2015b) Health promotion in sport coaching: Coaches and young male athletes’ evaluations on the health promotion activity of coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching10: 339–352.
24.
LeeATsangCLeeS, et al. (2003) A comprehensive ‘Healthy Schools Programme’ to promote school health: The Hong Kong experience in joining the efforts of health and education sectors. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health57: 174–177.
25.
McAuleyEDuncanTTammenVV (1989) Psychometric properties of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory in a competitive sport setting: A confirmatory factor analysis. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport60: 48–58.
26.
MansfieldLKayTAnokyeN, et al. (2018) A qualitative investigation of the role of sport coaches in designing and delivering a complex community sport intervention for increasing physical activity and improving health. BMC Public Health18: 1196.
27.
MarshHWMartinAJJacksonS (2010) Introducing a short version of the physical self description questionnaire: New strategies, short-form evaluative criteria, and applications of factor analyses. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology32: 438–482.
28.
MeganckJScheerderJThibautE, et al. (2015) Youth sports clubs’ potential as health-promoting setting: Profiles, motives and barriers. Health Education Journal74: 531–543.
29.
MeganckJSeghersJScheerderJ (2016) Exploring strategies to improve the health promotion orientation of Flemish sports clubs. Health Promotion International32: 681–690.
30.
MisenerLMisenerKE (2016) Examining the integration of sport and health promotion: Partnership or paradox?International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics8: 695–712.
31.
OjaPTitzeSKokkoS, et al. (2015) Health benefits of different sport disciplines for adults: Systematic review of observational and intervention studies with meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine49: 434–440.
32.
QuestedENtoumanisNViladrichC, et al. (2013) Intentions to drop-out of youth soccer: A test of the basic needs theory among European youth from five countries. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology11: 395–407.
33.
RasbashJBrowneWGoldsteinH, et al. (2000) A User’s Guide to Mlwin. London: Centre for Multilevel Modelling, Institute of Education, University of London.
34.
RyanRMFrederickC (1997) On energy, personality, and health: Subjective vitality as a dynamic reflection of well-being. Journal of Personality65: 529–565.
35.
TabachnickBFidellL (2007) Multivariate analysis of variance and covariance. Using Multivariate Statistics3: 402–407.
36.
Van de MortelTF (2008) Faking it: Social desirability response bias in self-report research. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing25: 40–48.
37.
Van HoyeAFentonSKrommidasC, et al. (2013) Physical activity and sedentary behaviours among grassroots football players: A comparison across three European countries. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology11: 341–350.
38.
Van HoyeAHeuzéJ-PMeganckJ, et al. (2018) Coaches’ and players’ perceptions of health promotion activities in sport clubs. Health Education Journal77: 169–178.
39.
Van HoyeAHeuzéJ-PVan den BrouckeS, et al. (2016) Are coaches’ health promotion activities beneficial for sport participants? A multilevel analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport19: 1028–1032.
40.
Van HoyeASarrazinPHeuzéJ-P, et al. (2015) Coaches’ perceptions of French sports clubs: Health-promotion activities, aims and coach motivation. Health Education Journal74: 231–243.
41.
WoldBDudaJLBalaguerI, et al. (2013) Comparing self-reported leisure-time physical activity, subjective health, and life satisfaction among youth soccer players and adolescents in a reference sample. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology11: 328–340.
