Development of the health promoting sports club-national audit tool

Implementation of the GAA 'healthy clubs project' in Ireland: a qualitative study using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research

The sports clubs' role in promoting health has been acknowledged by policy makers and researchers, but there is little evidence on how sports clubs implement health-related interventions. The present article investigates the Gaelic Athletic Association Healthy Club Project (HCP) implementation process (mechanisms, barriers, leverages) over a 10-year timeframe. A case study design helped to produce and compare a data synthesis for five clubs involved since 2013. A qualitative iterative data collection, including document analysis was conducted through 20 focus groups with Healthy Club Officers, coaches, participants and members. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used in the deductive analysis process, conducted by the first author. Results have shown the success of the HCP in placing health promotion on the agenda of sports clubs leading to informal policy for health promotion, even if activities and recognition are directed toward and coming from the community. This study also underlines the virtuous cycle of the settings-based approach in enhancing membership and volunteer recognition through health promotion actions, and the importance of social good and corporate social activities for sports clubs. Nevertheless, the HCP still relies on limited human resources, is not recognized by competitive oriented adult playing members. and acknowledged as a resource by some coaches, limiting its rootedness in the core business of sports clubs. Future research should empower the HCP community to focus on organizational changes and develop outcomes for individuals, for the club as a whole as well as for the local community.

Using a socioecological approach to explore healthy lifestyle in elite sport: a qualitative study of French athletes', coaches', and managers' perspectives

Elite athletes are continually subjected to a range of constraints specific to high performance, and these can have a negative impact on their health. Although many studies have explored the individual factors related to risky behaviours and disorders in elite sport contexts, few have focused on health promotion. Consequently, the interpersonal, institutional, and policy factors of the health-related behaviours of elite athletes are still poorly explored. Based on the socioecological model, this study aimed to identify the factors involved in the health-related lifestyle of elite athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 participants: athletes (N = 32), their coaches (N = 6) and the managers of elite sport centres (N = 7). Both deductive and inductive thematic analyses were performed. Our results highlight the views of the actors. Regarding intrapersonal factors, resilience qualities and health literacy appeared as key factors in influencing the health-related lifestyle of elite athletes. At the interpersonal level, parents and coaches emerged as the main sources of educational support. Regarding institutional factors, the health policies of the elite sport centres were key factors in supporting the athletes' healthy lifestyle. These results encourage the development of health promotion programs at different levels of intervention.

Evaluation of implementation and effects of a health-promoting sports club intervention using a mixed-method design: PROSCeSS protocol

Public authorities and academics have advocated for applying been advocating for the application of the setting-based approach to sports clubs. However, studies have shown that existing health promotion (HP) interventions in sports clubs poorly understand and apply this approach. Moreover, methods used to evaluate these interventions do not inform their implementation process, limiting the generation effectiveness’ proofs. This study aims at evaluating the implementation process and effectiveness of an HP intervention in sports clubs (PROmotion de la Santé dans les ClubS de Spor; PROSCeSS), based on the health-promoting sports club (HPSC) model.

A type 3 hybrid design, using a multiphase mixed-method: QUAN→QUAL→ QUAN+QUAL (qual)→QUAL (quan+qual), will be used. Phase A will be a pre–post–quantitative study with one HP officer, five managers and five coaches from 30 sports clubs exploring the effects of the PROSCeSS intervention on HP perceptions and health literacy. Phase B will be focus groups with participants from HP initiatives that the 30 sports clubs will have previously put in place to detect changes in health. Phase C will explain the results of phases A and B by choice of strategies and adherence to standardised steps, measured through semistructured interviews and implementation data collection. Phase D will cross-reference the semistructured interviews, the sports club characteristics questionnaire and the implementation data collection to study the relationships between the context and the implementation process. This protocol will identify ‘what works’, ‘for whom’, in ‘what context’ in terms of HPSC and clarify which intervention components are more effective at improving HP. This evaluation design will help to develop appropriate approaches to evaluate HP interventions.