A Capacity Building Approach to Increase Sports Participation in Disadvantaged Urban Communities: A Multilevel Analysis

Abstract

Recent evidence showed that community capacity building is one of the key methods to reach health improvements within disadvantaged communities. Physical activity and sports participation are important means to reach health improvements. This study investigates a capacity building method which aims at increasing sports participation in the community, especially for individuals at higher risk of sports deprivation. The main aims of the present study, are the following: (1) to examine differences in sports participation between individuals living in communities implementing a sports-based capacity building program and individuals living in communities without such capacity building program and (2) to investigate if the community sports program reaches the individuals known to experience higher barriers to engage in sports. In Flanders, Belgium, five disadvantaged urban communities implementing the community capacity building program (program communities) and four without (control communities) were selected based on similarity of sociodemographic and environmental characteristics. Two hundred adults (aged 18-56 years) per community were randomly selected and visited at home to fill out a questionnaire on sociodemographics, sports participation, and the community sports program. A sample of 414 adults participated in the study. Results showed that adults from program communities reported on average 96 min/week more participation in sports than their counterparts living in control communities. Furthermore, 61.3 % of the individuals of program communities indicated to engage in sports, whereas in control communities, this was only 42.4 %. Respondents at higher risk of sports deprivation also engaged in significantly more sports participation in program communities than those in control communities. This difference was also noted for groups that are not related with sports deprivation. These results are promising and plead for a community capacity building approach to increase sports participation in disadvantaged communities.

Barriers to voluntary participation in sport for children: a systematic review

“…In terms of facilitators of sports participation much of the current literature focuses on more specific barriers such as those faced by people with physical disability, visual impairment, or those in economically disadvantaged areas [ 24 – 26 ]. There are few current studies which examine facilitators in the more general population [ 27 ].…”

Community Capacity Building for Physical Activity Promotion among Older Adults—A Literature Review

“…While our review focused on capacity building in a specific field of research (PA promotion among older adults), our understanding of capacity building strategies might benefit from findings from other fields beyond our focus. For example, Marlier et al [ 41 ] compared communities enhancing their capacity through community coalitions (intervention group) with control communities. Ten years after implementing community coalitions, higher sports engagement and more time spent on PA were reported in the intervention group.…”

Capacity building through cross-sector partnerships: a multiple case study of a sport program in disadvantaged communities in Belgium

“…To account for this critique a component of our broader project included a study that explored the question of whether communities with a CSP had higher levels of sport participation than control communities without a CSP. The results of this study showed that program communities noted an average sport participation rate of 61.3 %, which was about 20 % higher than the control communities [ 19 ]. This present study tries to pinpoint the reasons and the underpinning processes of partnerships that build capacity on the three different levels and consequently help in explaining these proximal outcomes of the CSP.…”

“…A prior study showed that this CSP was related to higher levels of sport participation [ 19 ]. In communities where the CSP was implemented, 61.3 % of adults engaged in sport, whereas in similar communities, without the CSP, this was only 42.4 %.…”

“…In general older adults, women from ethnic minorities and people from lower social classes were found to participate less in sport. However all of these groups reported higher sport participation rates in CSP communities [ 19 ]. Overall, the large majority indicated to sport on a recreational level (91.4 %).…”