Sport for Health and Wellbeing Dr Kathleen Brasher Senior Project Officer Physical Activity

Overview  VicHealth  The benefits of physical activity through sport and recreation  Sport’s role in health and wellbeing

Health and wellbeing  Desire for optimal health, improved living conditions and quality of life  Wellbeing is a ‘whole of life’ approach  Individual: physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions  Broader community: natural environment, built environment and social arrangements  Interconnected and interdependent

Contemporary health challenges   Significant increases in the health, living conditions and quality of life of Victorians in the last half century and improved life expectancy BUT:   Increasing burden of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardio-vascular disease, mental disorders, diabetes   Substantial health inequalities

The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation – ‘VicHealth’  Established 1987 through tobacco levy (Tobacco Act 1987)  Independent statutory authority accountable to Parliament through Minister for Health  Partisan support  Annual budget of approx. $31 million  ‘at least 30% of budget must be spent on sporting bodies’

VicHealth: Improving the health of all Victorians  VicHealth envisages a community where:  VicHealth envisages a community where:  health is a fundamental human right  everyone shares in the responsibility for promoting health  everyone benefits from improved health outcomes  Our mission is to build the capabilities of organisations, communities and individuals in ways that:  change social, economic, cultural and physical environments to improve health for all Victorians  strengthen the understanding and the skills of individuals in ways that support their efforts to achieve and maintain health

promotion prevention early intervention treatment rehabilitation VicHealth’s Focus Our focus for promoting health Making the healthier choice the easier choice

Social Model of Health (Dahlgren and Whitehead, 1991)

VicHealth Priorities   Increase participation   Reduce smoking   Reduce harm from alcohol   Improve nutrition   Reduce harm from UV

People with a disability

Physical Activity  Any bodily movements performed by skeletal muscle that results in increased energy expenditure (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008)  Includes personal care, activities around the home, work, recreation, exercise and sporting activities  Varies in intensity and outcomes

Sport and Physical Recreation  Sport  Any activity involving physical exertion, skill and/or hand-eye coordination. Associated with competition, rules and formal organisations  Physical recreation  Any activity or experience involving various levels of exertion and/or skill, which may not be the primary focus, and is voluntarily engaged in by an individual in leisure time for physical or mental satisfaction (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008)

Why focus on physical activity?   Physical inactivity responsible for more than 6.6% total burden of disease, second to tobacco smoking.   In people who achieve recommended levels of physical activity there is a risk reduction of 30% in all causes of mortality (Australian Institute Health & Welfare, 2008)   Cost of physical inactivity is $13.8 billion   Physical inactivity is responsible for premature deaths and loss of ~2 working days per year, at a cost of $458 per employee (Medibank Private, 2007)

Participation in sport and recreation Between 2005 – 2006  10.5 million persons aged 15 years and over (66% of the adult population) participated at some time in physical activities for sport and recreation  64% of male adults and 61% of female adults Participation includes those who facilitate and those who play (but not watch) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008)

Participation in physical activity 2008 Participation in Exercise Recreation And Sport Survey (ERASS) Annual Report % Victorian persons over 15 years Total participation any PA 83.4 Regular participation in any PA 49.1 Regular participation in organised PA 12.5

People with a disability

What is social connection?  Other words used to describe social connection  Social capital/inclusion/exclusion  All people feel valued, differences are respected and basic needs are met. (Cappo, 2002)  Requires some level of mutual support, reciprocity and trust

Why focus on social connection?   People who are socially isolated have between 2 to 5 times the risk of dying compared with those with strong ties (Berkman and Glass, 2000)   Societies with low levels of trust have higher rates of violent and property crime (OECD, 2001)   Nearly 16% of Victorians cannot afford to participate in social activities such as having friends over for dinner (Saunders, 2003)

Sport, Health and Wellbeing  Physical health  Improved cardiovascular health, increased strength and balance, maintenance of healthy weight  Reduced chronic diseases, obesity, falls  Social benefits  Social interaction, shared interests, sense of community and place  Bonds and connections with others, individual self- esteem and confidence

Sport and wellbeing Participants in sport more likely than non-participants to:  Be actively involved in at least one social group (75% to 43%)  Have greater levels of generalised trust in people (69% to 48%)  Feel safe while at home or walking at night (53% to 39%) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008)  Involvement in sport produces higher levels of connectedness and physical and mental health than involvement with other types of organisations (Hoye, Nicholson & Brown, 2010)

But…  Indigenous and overseas- born Victorians report very high levels of racism in sport (VicHealth, 2007)  Sport in rural areas can be sharply divided on class, status and ethnicity  Club membership can be homogenous and exclusive (Atherley, 2006)

Non-participation in sport & physical recreation  Fewer adults over 65 years of age 46% compared to 71% between  Fewer Indigenous people 49% compared to 66% non-Indigenous adults  Only 25% of people with a disability  Fewer adults living in disadvantaged areas 49% compared to 74% of adults living in areas of less disadvantage (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008)

What are the key benefits of being involved in a local sporting club?  Socialising / spending time with friends  Exercise / physical fitness  Opportunity to participate in local community  Health  Meet new people

What do you think can be unhealthy at a local sporting club?  Alcohol consumption  Overbearing parents  Competitiveness  Fights between attendees  Food or drink high in fat, sugar or salt

VicHealth’s role in increasing participation in physical activity Research into physical activity trends, barriers to participation & effective models to increase participation. PICSAR funding State and Regional grants Active Participation grants Active Club grants Healthy sporting environments demonstration project

PICSAR Active Participation Grants Goal To increase participation in community sport and active recreation, particularly for people with disabilities, and those from low socio- economic, Indigenous and new arrival communities.Example Yachting Victoria TackersSailability

Healthy Sports Environments Demonstration Project In partnership with Leisure Networks:  To work with 100 clubs to implement a range of minimum standards including  Alcohol sales  Smoke-free policy  Food available for sale  Discrimination and women’s involvement  UV/heat checklist  Code of conduct  To determine what factors are required to instigate and sustain healthy behaviour change within sporting environments

Participation in sport for health and wellbeing or Can we have it all?  Utilise the power of sport to address issues such as healthy eating, alcohol, fairness and respect  AND harness the power of sports to promote health and wellbeing

The power of sport Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination Nelson Mandela (1997)

People with a disability