Feature
No.40
January 2004
 
    

How Can Sports Science Professionals Help Bridge the Increasing Chasm Between Socio-Economic and Cultural Groups?
Doris R. Corbett, Ph.D., USA
 

Increasingly, sport science professionals have tried to focus on the person as a whole. A significant challenge facing sport science professionals and physical education leaders is to help all people participate in regular physical activity so they can enjoy the associated health benefits. By sport science professionals working with each other, and working with physical education leaders, politicians, organizations, and government agencies, sport science professionals can develop target agendas for those that need it and help to bridge the gap between socio-economic and cultural groups.
Although many say that physical education is unessential in schools, and that the money would be better spent elsewhere, the health conditions of millions of deprived children and adults suggest otherwise. When the American Heart Association added physical inactivity to high blood pressure, smoking and high blood cholesterol, as a prime contributor to heart disease, those in low socio-economic and cultural groups were being indirectly targeted. It is the poor, and the indigent, that tend to have the highest rates of heart disease and pulmonary disorder. It is only through the partnership of sports science professionals with governmental agencies, professional organizations, public and private agencies, that the chasm between socio-economic and cultural groups will be bridged.

Disparities in levels of physical activity exist among population groups due in part to economic conditions. Spain, and Franks (2001) report that the proportion of the population who have reported no leisure-time physical activity is higher among women than men, higher among African-Americans and Hispanics than whites, higher among older adults than younger adults, and higher among the less wealthy than the more affluent. Research shows that participation in all types of physical activity declines significantly as youth become older. What is known is that in general, people with lower levels of education and income are less active in their leisure time activity (Spain, and Franks, 2001).
The consequence of inadequate health and fitness programs for youth is dramatic. Through quality health and fitness programs, essential values can be taught which can guide young people throughout their lives. Quality health and fitness programs can also reduce the risks of juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior. Research studies have shown that physical activity enhances youth academic performance, and self-esteem (Jaffee, L, and Wu, P.,1996; Duda, J.L., 1985 ), and serves as a powerful tool promoting human and social development around the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that international bodies such as The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Educational Scientific Consultant Organization (UNESCO), and The International Olympic Committee (IOC) are examples of advocate groups with a mandate to integrate sport and physical activity as an integral part of daily life (Benaziza,1998).
The Sport for All movement is an international broad based sports participation program sponsored and funded by governments. The main goals of the Sport for All movement are participation at the broadest level and are not directed toward elite athletes. UNESCO ratified an International Charter of Physical Education and Sport based on the Sport for All movement. Article 1 of the UNESCO charter embraces the concept that:
  1. the practice of physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all,
  2. everyone must have full opportunities in accordance with his national tradition of sport, developing his physical fitness, and
  3. special opportunities must be made available for young people, including children of preschool age, for the aged and for the physically challenged to develop themselves through physical education and sport programs.
(United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Charter of Physical Education and Sport).
There is every indication that these goals are not being met.
Complaints are often raised that sport scientist are not communicating with practitioners and that there is a chasm between theory and practice, and new knowledge and skills seldom reach those most in need. But, a more glaring omission is the absence of disparate socio-economic and diverse minority and cultural groups’ inclusion in the health, fitness, and sport educational process.
What is needed is partnership based endeavors and a collective responsibility among and between sport sciences professionals to advocate the evidence-based health, social and economic benefits of regular physical activity. Because the Sport for All movement has the endorsement of many groups, it has had a significant impact on getting the message out that physical activity is an essential component to a quality healthy and fit life style. What is missing in the tangled web to bring health and fitness programs to citizens throughout the world, and particularly in less developed countries, is a strategic component that bridges the gap between disparate socio-economic and diverse cultural groups.
Sport scientists seeks to investigate problems and find solutions within the framework of scientific justification. The ultimate goal is to transfer solutions to practice, to explain, control, and where and when necessary, change behavior. The subject areas of sport science can be categorized as follows:
  1. according to types of sporting/physical activity such as physical education, competitive school interscholastic and collegiate sport, club sport, sport for all, recreation and leisure sporting activity and elite professional sport;
  2. according to thematic research questions in discipline areas such as motor development, motor learning, biomechanics, sport psychology, sport history and philosophy, sport sociology, and
  3. according to scientific-systematic criteria such as sports medicine (Chin and Haag, 2000).
Different discipline areas of sport science can learn from each other, and opportunities need to be created to facilitate the necessary exchange of information between socio-economic less fortunate sport science professionals and diverse cultural groups throughout the world. Hence, in light of the fact that quality physical activity and sport programs are not available to many throughout the industrialized and non-industrialized world, it is important to discuss this topic.
In this endeavor, the writer will address how sport science professionals can help bridge the increasing chasm between disparate socio-economic and cultural groups to build partnerships to promote physical activity for health. The article provides the reader with an understanding of the nature of the problem facing youth and the adult population throughout the world, and the role sport scientists can play in coordinating their efforts to contribute to the promotion of health and fitness programs for all people.
In order to improve the health and fitness of the masses, sport science professionals must depend on several elements:
  • The knowledge of sport science professionals
  • The availability and identification of human resources
  • The method of education and training and
  • The efficiency of health, physical education and sport organizations
To emphasize the importance of these elements, the article is divided and will focus on four topical areas: 1) Partnerships, 2) globalization, 3) access and 4) equity.

Partnerships
Partnerships do not exist by accident. They are formed as a result of a developed course of action designed so that responsibility can be shared to achieve a specific goal. Governments, the volunteer and corporate arenas, educators and individuals within a community can come together to enhance and advance important programmatic initiatives.
Sport science professionals in charge of educational, sport and leisure programs are encouraged to enthusiastically seek to network with local, municipal, regional, national, and international agencies to join forces in support of the “sport-for-all” inclusive concept for sport and physical activity for everyone, regardless of financial circumstance: for girls and boys, and men and women of all ages, employers and employees, the unemployed, the able bodied or physically challenged, native born, migrants, or immigrants, physically active or sedentary, regardless of the ability to pay for health, leisure, sport and physical activity services.
No one sport or physical activity program can meet the needs of all socio-economic disadvantaged populations or cultural groups. The school setting, the sport in community settings, nor club programs can solely be responsible for providing all the health and fitness needs of a given society. Effective partnerships between schools, and community agencies can be established. However, sport sciences professionals must carry out their role in conveying convincingly to the various essential publics the necessity to not only
develop policy, but to move policy beyond theoretical rhetoric to a phase of implementation and practice.
It cannot be over-emphasized that sport science professionals must not only seek to provide opportunity for participation, but must fully embrace involvement in such programs. Program participants should have the right and power to determine the nature and meaning of participation. One such example is the “Fitness Unit of Health Canada” program which adopted a partnership approach in pursuing active living opportunities for persons with disabilities and for older adults. The “Fitness Unit of Health Canada” program operated on the basis that all partnerships were grounded in a process that is participatory which meant “nothing about us without us;” was community-based rather than “top-down;” and was consensus-driven, consumer-centered, and co-operatively lead (Taylor, 2000).” Unfortunately, global health, fitness and sport programs have often focused on programming primarily for elite sport participants with the view that programming for the masses is not necessary.
In this 21st century, we live in a global market-place, so it is important to underscore that partnerships are not just nation-based. They involve the establishment of relationships with appropriate groups across nations. In the academic community, cross-cultural research initiatives are common and helpful.

Globalization
Many countries are consumed with the promotion of a national identity. Throughout history, governments have utilized sport to promote a national and political agenda. Part of the challenge sport scientist face is not just the desire to communicate the value and purpose of health, fitness and sport programs for all people, but to address the impact of elite players on the national and international landscape. To overemphasize sport to enhance national identity at the expense of the less fortunate socio-economic and cultural groups will lead to less developed national talent and the under-utilization of some nation’s own talent (Maguire, J. Jarvie, G., Mansfield, L., and Bradley, J. 2002).
National sport organizations in some countries have placed quotas on foreign players limiting the number of international players represented on a team. The migration patterns of elite athletes in sports such as basketball, cricket, swimming, ice-hockey, track and field and soccer is commonplace (Maguire, J. Jarvie, G., Mansfield, L., and Bradley, J. 2002). But what is the economic impact of the lost of players to other countries? What other factors lead players to migrate other than economic? And are there sport policy implications that will impact on specific socio-economic and cultural groups? These are serious sport science issues that must be addressed. Issues surrounding access to opportunities, facilities and equipment and gender considerations may also be contributing factors for some sport participants choosing to leave their homeland.

Access and Equity
Policies fostering better health, sport, leisure and regular physical activity in the lives of all people, and particularly those less fortunate, provide a win-win proposition for individuals, families, communities, and nations. Part of the role of sport science professionals as researchers and practitioners is to educate and thereby empower politicians, governments and people in general to be mobilized to make a positive difference in the lives of human-kind. The challenge is to educate, and expose the research facts to those in power to make a difference early in the lives of people.
What is being done to address the problem, to bridge the increasing chasm between socio-economic and cultural groups as it relates to access to physical activity and equity in the provision of equipment and facilities? In short, sport science professionals have to sell the idea that the impact of quality health, fitness, sport, and leisure programs will have a significant and positive impact to educators in other professional disciplines, governments and their respective municipalities. The goal cannot be achieved through a piece-meal approach. Local, national and international strategies must operate to bring together resources in a coherent and purposeful effort that can be sustained indefinitely.
The development of Sport for All in Europe is well known. But because of concerns about international failures in sport, some Western nations have begun to look at the Sport for All models as a way to reduce systemic barriers to access active living programs. For example, in working to develop the “Sport Policy for Canadians,” John Munro (1970, p. 4-5) noted that:
We must face the fact that the opportunity for involvement in sport and recreation is extremely unequal between the socio-economic classes within our population…It’s only fair just as a dash [sprint] in a track meet is only fair, that everyone has the same starting line and the same distance to run. Unfortunately, in terms of facilities, coaching, promotion and programming, the sports scene today resembles track on which some people have twenty-five yards to run, some fifty, some one-hundred, and some as much as a mile or more (Canada Department of National Health and Welfare, 1970).
In summary, sport science professionals have important work to do to bridge the increasing chasm between socio-economic and cultural groups by confronting the social, political, and economic agenda inherent in the problems associated with the promotion of wellness and fitness world-wide (Corbett, 1993). The sport science professional must find ways to meet the following “sport sciences 16-step challenges:”

Sport Sciences 16–Step Challenges
  1. Conduct research projects that involve interdisciplinary research teams, including the use of focus groups, and interviews to establish the status and needs of the population that is examined and ultimately served.
  2. Facilitate the establishment of democratic systems to ensure that all people can participate.
  3. Encourage all constituent groups to consider their respective socio-economic and cultural group in relation to and reflective of their society.
  4. Promote program development that will enable sustainable and continuous improvements in the quality of life for all people.
  5. Support and encourage a mandate that women, the physically challenged and all socio-economic groups be included in the health and fitness movement.
  6. Be a vocal advocate in support of adequate time for health and physical education to be provided in the school curriculum.
  7. Support and encourage the development of opportunities for participation during out-of school hours.
  8. Encourage an equity-based partnership between physical education and Sport for All.
  9. Educate the public about the need for broad and varied programs of instruction and supplementary participation adapted to the needs, interests, maturity, and prevailing social and cultural norms of the participating individuals.
  10. Demonstrate through research evidence that adequate and competent teachers, instructors, coaches and administrators are essential to bridging the chasm between socio-economic and cultural groups.
  11. Seek internal and external support to make available facilities and equipment in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of optimum participation.
  12. Provide access to up-to-date scientific information and professional expertise.
  13. Provide evaluation and research activities to assure continual program improvement.
  14. Provide research documentation regarding the effect of inadequate resources in rural and isolated populations.
  15. Show the benefits of diversification of technical facilities in the rural and urban environment.
  16. Provide information and interpretation of resource materials to promote public interest, understanding and support of quality programs.
Working together collaboratively to build partnerships is the key to bridge the increasing chasm between socio-economic and cultural groups. The fruitful exchange of knowledge between and among sport scientist throughout the world will go a long way in enabling professionals to do more to facilitate the development of a healthy and fit culture throughout the world.

References
Armstrong, N. and Welsman, J. (1997). Young people and physical activity. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Benaziza, Hamadi (1998). Partnership building: a key in promoting physical activity for health. Final Report Sport for All and the Global Educational Challenges. Barcelona, Spain, November 19-22. Pg. 186.
Campbell, S., (1998). The Prince Philip Lecture. Physical education matters. In: The British Journal of Physical Education, 29 (1), Summer. Pp. 15-17.
Canada Department of National Health and Welfare, CDNHW (1970). A Proposed Sport Policy for Canadians, Ottawa, Department of National Health and Welfare, 47p.
Chin, M. and Haag, H. (2000). Connections between physical education and sports science in the new millennium: A bridge too far? Innovation and Application of Physical
Education and Sports Science in the New Millennium – An Asia-Pacific Perspective
. The Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Corbett, D.R. (Fall,1993). Confronting the agenda for the year 2000 HPER ___ A prediction for lifelong learning. The International Journal of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance. Vol. XXX, No.1.
De Knop, P., (1996). European trends in youth sport: a report from 11 European countries. In: European Journal of Physical Education, 1 (1). Pp. 36-45.
Duda, J.L. (1985). Goals and achievement orientations of Anglo and Mexican-American adolescents in sports and the classroom. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 9, 131-150.
.Hardman, Ken (1998). Threats to physical education! threats to sport for all.
Final Report Sport for All and the Global Educational Challenges. Barcelona, Spain, November 19-22. Pg. 70-73.
Jaffee, L, and Wu, P. (1996). After school activities and self-esteem in adolescent girls. Melpomene: A Journal for Women’s Health Research, 15(2), 18-25.
Maguire, J, Jarvie, G., Mansfield, L., and Bradley, J. (2002). Sport and Globalization. Sport Worlds A Sociological Perspective. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.
Spain, C. and Franks, D. (2001). Healthy People 2010: Physical Activity and Fitness. President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest.
Taylor, B. (2000). Proven Partnerships: A shared leadership Approach. Sport for All Governmental Policies. Proceedings. Quebec City.


Doris R. Corbett, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Sport Studies
Department of Health, Human Performance & Leisure Studies
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
U.S.A.
Email: profcorbet@comcast.net




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