Further Information
Media
Dr Lindsey Reece talks about Getting Australia Active III and the Australasian Society for Physical Activity, plus much more on the Collective Leisure podcast.
Dr Lindsey Reece from SPRINTER partnership discusses #PhysicalActivity advocacy with Trevor Shilton from the Heart Foundation. Everyone can be a physical activity advocate. Whether it’s an email, a social media post, a letter to a minister, all forms of advocacy count, are important and are encouraged. Be clear and consistent in your key messages for physical activity. Not sure where to start? Use the 7 best investments for physical activity. Physical activity advocacy can be positively challenging, so be persistent, persistent, persistent, and persistent!
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What is SPRINTER
The SPort & Recreation INTervention & Epidemiology Research (SPRINTER) group is a research partnership between the Prevention Research Collaboration, University of Sydney and the NSW Office of Sport. SPRINTER provides leadership and evidence to inform evidence-based decision making.
Working at the intersection, where research meets policy and practice, the SPRINTER group is ideally placed to facilitate the re-design of what Sport really means to our local communities, and promote the successful integration of public health, within a refreshed concept of the sporting sector.
The SPRINTER group focuses on policy relevant research, pragmatic evaluation, biostatistics and epidemiological methods, capability and capacity work across sport, recreation and physical activity sector partners. Their expertise is in physical activity, sport, active recreation promotion throughout life and prevention of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and some cancers.
Why this research partnership
While SPRINTER are independent, their deep understanding of the policy environment allows them to work extremely effectively with governments to inform decision-making. They provide key decision-makers with the evidence and impetus to adopt a forward-thinking, high impact, cost-effective approach to long-term public health outcomes through physical activity.
Who we are
The Core Team
Academic Director: Dr Lindsey Reece
Senior Research Officer: Bridget Foley
Biostatistician: Dr Katherine Owen
Research Assistant: Dr Catriona Rose
SPRINTER Academic Ambassadors
Emeritus Professor Adrian Bauman
Associate Professor William Bellew
Associate Professor & Director Prevention Research Collaboration Philayrath Phongsavan
External Advisory Committee (EPAC)
Sport NSW representative
Outdoors NSW representative
Sport Australia representative
Academic
How we work
SPRINTER work alongside policymakers, practitioners, NGOs, global health organisations and the community to deliver public health and policy-relevant research.
SPRINTER partnership Vision
Establish a research community that informs policy deliberations on how to enable more people to be active everyday through sport, recreation and physical activity.
SPRINTER partnership Mission
Assist the government to lead and shape Australia’s sport and physical activity system through the delivery of world class research translated into policy and practice.
SPRINTER partnership priorities:
- Enhancing the health, wealth and wellbeing of NSW population through increasing participation in Sport and recreation
- Conducting quality research and evaluation that informs policy and practice
- Establishing cross-sector partnerships that enhance quality and relevance of research
- Fostering a sport policy and practice culture that values research
- Building research capability in sport policy and practice through stakeholder and sector engagement
SPRINTER position on OoS structure:
Policy and planning group
Outputs
SPRINTER specialist areas of work supporting OoS:
| An active NSW; Children and Adolescent participation in sport and physical activity |
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Analysis of population surveillance metrics to understand participation rates and trends in organised sport and physical activity. Data sources used include Ausplay (through national partnership with Sport Australia). Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on children’s physical activity levels in NSW, Australia AusPlay NSW: Participation in organised sport and physical activity amongst children aged 0-14 years |
| An Active NSW; Adult participation in sport and physical activity |
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Analysis of population surveillance metrics to understand participation rates and trends in organised sport and physical activity. Data sources used include Ausplay (through national partnership with Sport Australia). AusPlay NSW: Participation analysis in structured sport and physical activity amongst Adults |
| Complex Pragmatic Evaluations of policy and programs |
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Design and implement complex yet pragmatic process and outcome evaluations across the Office of Sport. Pragmatic evaluations are aimed at: planning interventions, learning and continuous improvement of interventions, programming policies, and transformation of society. ACTIVE KIDS The Active Kids voucher is a universal, state‐wide voucher program, provided by the New South Wales (NSW) Government, Office of Sport. All school‐aged children in NSW are eligible to receive a voucher to reduce registration costs of structured physical activity programs. This study explores reasons behind lower uptake among children who are overweight or obese, from cultural and linguistically diverse families and those living in low socio‐economic areas. Evaluation of a voucher scheme to increase child physical activity in participants of a school physical activity trial in the Hunter region of Australia Research Overview: 96% parents (n=407) reported redeeming a voucher. Children who redeemed a voucher had three times the odds to participate in organized team sports from baseline to follow-up (p = 0.009). Sub group analyses identified that females who redeemed a voucher had four times the odds to participate in organized team sports (p = 0.012). Body Mass Index of children and adolescent participants in a voucher program designed to incentivise participation in sport and physical activity: a cross-sectional study Summary: • The Active Kids program reached 75,927 children who were overweight or obese. Effects of the Active Kids voucher program on children and adolescents’ physical activity In 2018, all children and adolescents registered for an Active Kids voucher provided sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity and research consent. This prospective cohort study used an online survey with validated items to measure physical activity and other personal and social factors in children and adolescents who used an Active Kids voucher. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine changes from registration to after voucher use at ≤8 weeks, 9–26 weeks and ≥ 6 months. Study participants reported increasing their days achieving physical activity guidelines from 4.0 days per week at registration to 4.9 days per week after 6 months. Increased physical activity was observed for all sociodemographic population groups. The voucher-specific activity contributed 42.4% to the total time children participated in structured physical activities outside of school. Children and adolescents who increased to, or maintained, high levels of activity were socially supported to be active, had active parent/caregivers, had better concentration and were overall happier than their low-active counterparts. The Active Kids program significantly increased children’s physical activity levels and these increases continued over a six-month period. The Active Kids voucher program shows promise as a scaled-up intervention to increase children and adolescents’ physical activity participation. Who does the Active Kids program reach? Abstract: Active Kids is a government-led, universal voucher program that aims to reduce the cost of participation in structured physical activity for all school-enrolled children in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. As part of the Active Kids program evaluation, this cross-sectional study examined the Active Kids’ program’s reach to children in NSW and their physical activity behaviors, before voucher use. Demographic registration data from all children (4.5–18 years old) who registered for an Active Kids voucher in 2018 (n = 671,375) were compared with Census data. Binary and multinomial regression models assessed which correlates were associated with meeting physical activity guidelines and participation in the sessions of structured physical activity. The Active Kids program attracted more than half (53%) of all eligible children in NSW. Children who spoke a primary language other than English at home, were aged 15–18 years old, lived in the most disadvantaged areas, and girls, were less likely to register. Of the registered children, 70% had attended structured physical activity sessions at least once a week during the previous 12 months, whilst 19% achieved physical activity guidelines. Active Kids achieved substantial population reach and has the potential to improve children’s physical activity behaviors. Physical Activity and Sport participation in Indigenous children
SPRINTER evaluation protocol for Active Kids is registered with Australian and New Zealand Clinical trials registry. ACTRN12618001148268 Active Kids evaluation protocol Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Parental awareness and uptake paper
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| Regional Sports Plans |
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The scope of the Regional Sport and Active Recreation plans evaluation is broad as each of the nine regional areas in NSW have individualised plans. These plans adopt a multi-sectoral, place based approach and will be implemented by six partner groups. We have developed a standardised evaluation framework with specific targets and measurable indictors which will be used to answer the following questions:
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| Evidence based policy |
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Collating best practice evidence to translate and inform policy processes and strategic decision making. |
| Major Events |
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Understand the reach and role major events play in promoting population participation in physical activity and sport. |
| Sector capability and capacity |
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Build research capability across the sport and physical activity sector through collaboration and partnerships to enhance delivery and decision making. CASRO review – Inactive and active Australians Hockey NSW analysis - available on request |
| Symposia and events |
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SPRINTER annual symposia provide an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the impact of SPRINTER work. 2018 SPRINTER symposia wrap up 2019 SPRINTER symposia wrap up Sport NSW event presentations - available on request |
| Research and academia |
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Contribution to building and enhancing the academic evidence base for health, wealth and wellbeing promotion through physical activity and sport. The SPRINTER team engage with academic and scholarly activity in Australia and around the world. Bridget Foley PhD – Active Kids
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| Getting Australia Active III |
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Getting Australia Active III (GAAIII) is an evidence-based guide designed to support policy makers with adopting or strengthening a whole-of-systems approach to physical activity in Australia. It has been developed by the Australian Systems Approaches to Physical Activity (ASAPa) project, a national initiative led by researchers at The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre and the University of Sydney with funding from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund. It is the first such guide on a systems approach to physical activity in the world, and provides guidance for health and non-health sectors in developing physical activity-relevant policies and programs. It presents design specifications on effective policies and programs across 8 policy domains, guidance on priority investments, case studies and links to online resources. A series of ‘summary briefs’ on key areas will shortly accompany this guide. GAAIII updates the evidence published in previous editions of Getting Australia Active in 2002 and 2004, and incorporates additional guidance to support government policy makers in Australia with implementing the actions recommended by the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity. It provides timely guidance given the current consultation on a new 10-year National Preventive Health Strategy, and supports work in State-level planning or a possible National Physical Activity Strategy. |