TY - JOUR
T1 - Staying safe while staying together
T2 - the COVID-19 paradox for participants returning to community-based sport in Victoria, Australia
AU - Staley, Kiera
AU - Seal, Emma
AU - Donaldson, Alex
AU - Randle, Erica
AU - Forsdike, Kirsty
AU - Burnett, Donna
AU - Thorn, Lauren
AU - Nicholson, Matthew
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Objective: To identify the challenges adult community sport participants anticipate when returning to sport in Victoria, Australia, post a COVID-19 shutdown. Methods: Using online concept mapping, participants brainstormed challenges to returning to community sport, sorted them into groups and rated them for impact and ability/capacity to overcome. Analysis included multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: Forty-five community sport participants representing 24 sports identified 69 unique challenges to returning to sport. Eight clusters/questions participants need answered emerged from the sorting data (mean cluster impact and ability/capacity rating out of 5): Will we have enough participants? (3.32, 2.89); How do we stay safe? (3.31, 3.35); How will our sport change? (3.17, 2.85); How can we stay together? (3.15, 3.01); Will I be physically ready? (3.15, 3.05); What about the money? (2.86, 2.53); What about me? (2.65, 3.13); and What about the facilities? (2.49, 2.45). Conclusions: Participants perceived paradoxical challenges to returning to sport after COVID-19 shutdown, which revolved around staying safe, staying connected and accessing meaningful sport activities. Implications for public health: Sport organisations and public health practitioners should address the participant-centred challenges identified in this study to maximise the public health benefits of participants returning to community sport.
AB - Objective: To identify the challenges adult community sport participants anticipate when returning to sport in Victoria, Australia, post a COVID-19 shutdown. Methods: Using online concept mapping, participants brainstormed challenges to returning to community sport, sorted them into groups and rated them for impact and ability/capacity to overcome. Analysis included multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: Forty-five community sport participants representing 24 sports identified 69 unique challenges to returning to sport. Eight clusters/questions participants need answered emerged from the sorting data (mean cluster impact and ability/capacity rating out of 5): Will we have enough participants? (3.32, 2.89); How do we stay safe? (3.31, 3.35); How will our sport change? (3.17, 2.85); How can we stay together? (3.15, 3.01); Will I be physically ready? (3.15, 3.05); What about the money? (2.86, 2.53); What about me? (2.65, 3.13); and What about the facilities? (2.49, 2.45). Conclusions: Participants perceived paradoxical challenges to returning to sport after COVID-19 shutdown, which revolved around staying safe, staying connected and accessing meaningful sport activities. Implications for public health: Sport organisations and public health practitioners should address the participant-centred challenges identified in this study to maximise the public health benefits of participants returning to community sport.
KW - community-based sport
KW - concept mapping
KW - COVID-19
KW - participation
KW - physical activity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118841456&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1753-6405.13177
DO - 10.1111/1753-6405.13177
M3 - Article
C2 - 34761858
AN - SCOPUS:85118841456
SN - 1326-0200
VL - 45
SP - 608
EP - 615
JO - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
JF - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
IS - 6
ER -