Determining priority areas for health promotion amongst Australian professional sporting organisations

Justin M Guagliano; Holly Hliounakis; Aymen El Masri; Gregory S Kolt; Emma S George

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2023.10.014

Determining priority areas for health promotion amongst Australian professional sporting organisations

J Sci Med Sport. 2024 Jan;27(1):30-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2023.10.014. Epub 2023 Oct 21.

Authors

Justin M Guagliano¹, Holly Hliounakis², Aymen El Masri³, Gregory S Kolt², Emma S George³

Affiliations

¹ School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia. Electronic address: j.guagliano@westernsydney.edu.au.
² School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Australia.
³ School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia.

PMID: 37923649
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2023.10.014

Abstract

Objectives: Professional sporting organisations (PSOs) are well-positioned to promote health through their reach and standing within communities. However, the health promotion (HP) priority areas of interest of PSOs are unknown. The objectives of this study were to: identify HP priority areas amongst Australian PSOs and explore the development, implementation, and evaluation of HP programming within the identified priority areas.

Design: Delphi procedure with qualitative interviews.

Methods: Participants were community-focussed employees from PSOs across Australia. To identify HP priory areas, three rounds of surveys were used in a Delphi procedure. Participants were then invited to participate in semi-structured interviews focussed on the development, implementation, and evaluation of HP programmes.

Results: Of the 103 community employees invited to participate in the Delphi, 28 participated in at least one round and 16 completed all rounds. Overall, HP priorities fell under five main areas: access/participation in sport; general HP; physical activity promotion; community, culture, and inclusion; and support for HP initiatives. Eleven interviews were conducted, and central themes included needing support with programme design and evaluation, and the need to build employee capacity and greater inter-organisational collaboration.

Conclusions: This study determined HP priority areas amongst PSOs using a consensus-generating approach. Interview findings demonstrated that community-focussed employees are committed to delivering HP programmes, but encounter difficulty with funding, employee capacity, and programme design and evaluation expertise. The findings from these interviews reveal potential avenues of collaboration between organisations that can provide expertise in design and evaluation and sporting organisations for HP programming.

Keywords: Community engagement; Community health; Corporate social responsibility; Delphi; Professional sport.

MeSH terms

Australia
Exercise
Health Behavior
Health Promotion* / methods
Humans
Sports*