Health-promoting sports clubs (HPSC)

The research area has its origin in the WHO (1986) Ottawa charter stating that "Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play, and love." Specific research about Health-promoting sports clubs (HPSC) has developed since the early 2000's.

A health-promoting sports club works to develop it's core-business in a health-promoting direction.

They:

1) have an approach embracing all club actions extending beyond promoting one health behavior, topic or issue

2) involve all levels of the club (participants, parents, coaches, management, volunteers) in HP actions and decision-making,

3) involve external partners and the community in HP actions and decision-making,

4) be conscious that promoting health within the sports club is a continuous iterative process and

5) base actions on needs, acknowledging the limitations of a “one size-fits-all” approach(Van Hoye, Johnson, Geidne, Donaldson et al (2020).

The research area is so far most developed in Australia, Finland, France, Ireland and Belgium.

This project is a part of the international HPSC network, organized through HEPA Europe.

Parts that mainly are in process in Sweden now is:

• Translation, adaption and development of a measurement instrument for health promotion orientation and activities in sports clubs from management, coaches and participants perspective. This project is conducted as a close collaboration between ORU and RF SISU Örebro county.
• Youth perspective on the health-promoting potential of sports clubs from a salutogenic perspective - work in progress.
• Older people's perspective on the health-promoting potential of sports clubs from a salutogenic perspective - data collection ongoing.