Health Promotion Strategies in Community Sports Settings

Community sports settings offer a unique platform for promoting health across physical, mental and social domains by leveraging existing social networks, facilities and cultural ties. Strategies range from coach and volunteer education to the design of inclusive policies and environments that support lifelong participation. A settings-based approach integrates health promotion into the everyday operations of sports clubs, federations and associations, ensuring that interventions become embedded rather than episodic. Key elements include empowerment of participants through co-design of activities, creation of welcoming and inclusive environments, and coordination between public health and sports sectors. Systemic support from governing bodies can reinforce local efforts by providing guidelines, resources and training that align with health promotion principles. Practical applications have spanned leader training on topics such as injury prevention and healthy eating through to infrastructural changes such as smoke-free venues and social spaces that foster well-being. Challenges persist around reaching inactive groups, securing sustainable funding and balancing elite sport objectives with community health goals. Nevertheless, the global breadth of research underscores the potential for community sport to contribute significantly to public health targets when strategies are tailored to local contexts and underpinned by cross-sector collaboration.

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Health Promotion Strategies in Community Sports Settings publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in health promotion strategies in community sports settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Settings-based approach: A health promotion method that integrates interventions into the routine structures and cultures of a given environment, such as a sports club, to create sustainable change.

Health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA): Any form of physical activity that contributes to physical fitness and health, encompassing both organised and informal movement.

Community sport: Voluntary or organised physical activities and programmes delivered at local clubs, associations or public facilities rather than at elite or professional levels.

Empowerment: Processes by which individuals and communities gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health, often through participation in design and delivery of interventions.

Systems thinking: An approach that recognises the interrelated components of a setting—such as policy, governance, infrastructure and human resources—and seeks to align them toward a common health promotion goal.

References

1. Perceived coaches’ health promotion activity, maintenance of participation in sports, and lifestyle habits among emerging adults: a four-year follow-up study. Annals of Medicine (2024).
2. Promotion of health-enhancing physical activity in the sport sector: a study among representatives of 536 sports organisations from 36 European countries. BMC Public Health (2023).
3. Health promoting sports federations: theoretical foundations and guidelines. Frontiers in Public Health (2023).