7.1b How effective are sport policies and interventions in improving local outcomes, and how does this vary across different places and contexts?
Background
DCMS is committed to establishing a robust evidence base for the sport and physical activity sector, prioritising ‘what works’ and value for money. This aligns with the broader shift towards devolved, place-based models in public service reform, including the move towards neighbourhood health approaches. We seek to understand how locally-tailored sport interventions can reduce health inequalities and drive economic growth. Just as wider reforms aim to push power out to communities and demand greater transparency, we require research into governance structures that maps stakeholder networks and identifies best practices for accountability and collaboration. Finally, we invite evidence on the responsible and ethical use of AI and the role of sport in young people’s mental health to ensure the sector effectively addresses future challenges and reduces demand on health services. These questions reflect DCMS’s strong interest in rigorous evaluation approaches and the generation of causal evidence on ‘what works’.
Next steps
Get in touch with [email protected]
Research fields
Related UKRI funded projects
-
Developing & testing the feasibility of a sports-based mental health promotion intervention for adolescents in Nepal: a community engagement approach
Each year, one in five adolescents aged 10-19 experiences a mental disorder like depression or anxiety, and the rate is rising. We work in Nepal, a low-income country, where there is a large population of adolescents at ...
Funded by: MRC
Lead research organisation: King's College London
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on developing a sports-based mental health promotion intervention for adolescents in Nepal, aligning with the question's emphasis on sport policies and interventions in improving local outcomes.
-
'Leaders Like Us': Co-designing a framework to develop young physical activity leader programmes for girls from underserved groups
There are stubborn inequalities in children and young people's physical activity (PA) levels. Girls, and people from deprived areas and ethnic minority backgrounds are the least active. Inequalities in PA levels have bee...
Funded by: MRC
Lead research organisation: Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Why might this be relevant?
The project aims to co-design a framework for developing young female PA leaders from underserved groups, which directly addresses the question's focus on sport policies and interventions in improving local outcomes.
-
Understanding the potential of informal and lifestyle sports
Debate about the legacy from the London 2012 Olympics, and its failure to impact declining physical activity levels and increasing obesity amongst youth, has refocused decades of public debate about the value of sport to...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Brighton
Why might this be relevant?
The project explores the potential of informal and lifestyle sports, which partially aligns with the question's focus on sport policies and interventions in improving local outcomes.