Barriers to Physical Activity for Rural Communities

Common barriers to physical activity in rural, remote and Indigenous communities include limited access to recreational facilities, lack of sidewalks, uneven road surfaces, wildlife, and inclement weather. Learn more about evidence-based strategies for promoting physical activity in these communities.

Participation in Masters Sport

For many sport organizations, older adults represent an untapped cohort of potential members. Research on Masters athletes points to the importance of both a social environment and competitive opportunities in facilitating participation.

Building capacity for sport participation through events 

Project Summary The demonstration effect is the assumption that sport events stimulate sport participation. This phenomenon is widely debated (e.g., Weed et al, 2015) given there is little evidence that sport events create new participation in sport. Local sport organizations (LSOs) can play a pivotal role in taking advantage of sport events to create new participation opportunities. In order to do so, LSOs must be willing and able to create that opportunity for enhanced…

Bringing a Trauma-Sensitive Focus into Children’s Active Play

It’s September – a traditional time of transition. This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, children are confronting significant change and uncertainty. Children are at elevated risks of negative physical and mental health consequences for several reasons (Chanchlani et al., 2020). First, school, daycare, and community programming closures in March 2020 resulted in potential loss…

Program Promotion

Do your promotional strategies include the necessary information for athletes experiencing disability to feel safe, welcomed and confident in their participation? Don’t forget accessibility information, local transportation options, specialized equipment available, level of challenge, and coach certification.

Hometown Heroes

Millions of people tune in to watch athletes from their own communities compete for Olympic and Paralympic medals. Research suggests youth perceive a special connection with elite athletes from their hometown because they share similar sport-related experiences, such as team or club affiliation, coaches, and facilities. This affiliation may support increased participation after major sport…

The relationship between team cohesion and youth sport participation 

Project Summary  The first objective was to examine the relationship between task and social cohesion, and three participation-related outcomes (self-reported effort, practice attendance, and intention to return to the team the following season).    Results indicated that cohesiveness around the team’s task was positively related to effort and intention to the return, but not to practice…

Rural Sport Programs

Limited interest from funders, difficulty adapting evidence from urban settings, and a lack of capacity or buy-in can limit physical activity and sport programs in rural settings. To overcome these challenges, research suggests that developing broad-based partnerships, building on existing resources, and focusing on the long-term vision are key.

Putting Inclusion to Practice

Creating inclusive programs and environments is a priority for many organizations, but what does this mean in practice? Inspiring programs such as the Hijabi Ballers, Free Footie and the North Preston Surf Program put the inclusion principles of respect, dignity and openness into action.

Exercise & Cardiac Risk

In a recent scientific paper, the American Heart Association suggests increased participation of inactive and unfit individuals in vigorous and high-intensity activities, such as marathons, is linked to higher incidence of related cardiovascular events. Experts recommend “more is not always better” – to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of physical activity, slowly increase…