FIRST STEPS TOWARDS PREVENTION Facilitators in the collaboration between the secondary care and the sport sector in order to promote physical activity

Abstract

Participating in regular physical activity has positive effects on physical, mental and social health. Guidance towards sports activities is needed because existing sports promotion programs hardly reach the target group. A key role for promoting physical activity and guidance towards sports/exercise programs is ascribed to the neighborhood sports coaches (NSCs). Intersectoral collaboration (ISC) between the healthcare sector and the PA sector, is expected to improve the health of individuals and increase awareness of the health implications of policy decisions and organisational practice within and among these different sectors. The starting point of this research is the Health Alliances (HALL) framework, which identifies factors that facilitate the success of alliances. To gain understanding of the facilitators of intersectoral collaboration between lifestyle projects in hospitals and neighbourhood sports coaches to endorse an active lifestyle of patients, a qualitative methodology was used in conducting in-depth interviews with secondary health care professionals and sport professionals [N=10]. The findings of this paper show that an organizational focus on ISC was crucial for the creation and sustainability of an ISC. Also, training secondary health professionals is important in ensuring the referral of patients to a NSCs. A wish for the future concerning the ISC was a national communication platform, where professionals from the medical sector and PA sector can find each other. The main implication of this study, is that it can be seen as an expansion of the existing research on the ISC between secondary health projects and the PA sector. In addition, the facilitating factors can serve as an incentive for hospitals and NSCs to start an ISC or improve the existing ISC. Future research should explore the most effective ways of NSCs to communicate with patients and organizations who offer PA activities, in order to effectively refer people who could advantage of a better lifestyle