Sport Ireland launches project to bring sport to disadvantaged communities
Sport Ireland is launching a project aimed at finding out how best to provide sport and physical activity in disadvantaged communities. The tender issued by the body which oversees and partly funds sport in Ireland wants to increase the number of adults and children participating in sport and reduction in sedentary lifestyles as a result.
"The primary objective of this project is to test the efficacy of interventions to increase participation in sport among individuals in disadvantaged communities using ideas from behavioural science research, and the potential for such interventions to be scaled up for general application across the wider population," it said.
The project will be resourced with Dormant Accounts Funding and the tender refers to the existing National Sport Policy (NSP), due to run until 2027.
"The NSP recognises that there are no simple answers, that the reasons for non-participation vary within and between groups, and that they can change over the life course," Sport Ireland said to prospective tender applicants.
"For example, among individuals from lower socio-economic groups there appears to be a strong belief that they are not in control of their own efforts to increase participation in sport.
"While they understand that there are benefits from taking part in sport and that it is a good thing to do, these beliefs do not translate into higher levels of participation. There is a need, therefore, to understand better why individuals who believe in the benefits of sport and exercise feel unable to participate."
Sport Ireland also referenced a recently-published ESRI research paper titled: ’’Interventions to increase physical activity in disadvantaged communities: A review of behavioural mechanisms’’.
According to that study:
"Physical inactivity is now a significant driver of health and social inequalities among socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and poses a major challenge to policymakers, worldwide."
It referred to challenges involving the physical environment in communities and said: "There is some evidence that making localities more walkable, attractive and safe reduces some barriers to physical activity. However, there are multiple examples where improvements to physical structures and amenities in disadvantaged communities have had no measurable impact on activity, even when coupled with the provision of organised activities."
It also said that a large number of interventions designed to increase physical activity in disadvantaged communities have relied on the provision of information or educational materials about the benefits of physical activity and added: "Interventions that rely on this method have, generally, produced disappointing outcomes."
And it said there was "good evidence" that physical activity is "socially contagious".
"People are more likely to be active if surrounded by others who are active, which establishes a positive ’’social norm’’," it said.
"The evidence suggests that interventions are more likely to be successful where they target social groups, invite positive social comparisons and involve social interactions that recognise achievements and offer rewards."
The closing date for applications is April 26 and the tender is due to run for 12 months, with a final report to be published in June of next year.
