Background: Studying effective interventions already operating at scale is critical to improving physical activity intervention research translation. The free, weekly, timed 5-km run or walk parkrun represents a unique opportunity to examine successful organic dissemination. We conducted an ecological analysis to identify patterns of growth in Australian parkrun participation and their correlates from 2011 to 2020. Method: Outcome variables were (1) weekly counts of walkers/runners and (2) monthly number of new parkrun registrants. We used latent class analysis to characterize growth trajectories followed by logistic regression on class membership. Covariates included parkrun course characteristics (eg, surface type and route), site-level aggregate participant profile (eg, proportion women and mean age), and surrounding area characteristics (eg, population density and physical activity norm). Results: Three hundred and sixty-three parkruns were included (n = 8,388,695 participation instances). Sixty-nine percent followed a low-growth and 31% a high-growth participation pattern. High growth was associated with greater participation by women, concrete/bitumen surface type, lower area socioeconomic status, and greater volunteer heterogeneity. Odds of being in the slow-growth class were higher if the course contained >1 km of repetition, higher average age of participants, better average parkrun performance, and higher running group membership. Two patterns of new registration were identified: high start followed by steep decline; and low start, slow decline with similar correlates to participation. Conclusions: Parkruns with a less competitive social milieu may have more rapid dissemination. As a free and regular event, parkruns in low socioeconomic areas have the potential to improve the activity levels of those with fewer resources.
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Patterns and Correlates of Participation in a Weekly Mass Participation Physical Activity Event, parkrun, in Australia, 2011–2020
Anne C. Grunseit, Bo-Huei Huang, Dafna Merom, Adrian Bauman, Leonie Cranney, and Kris Rogers
Future Directions for Movement Behavior Research in the Early Years
Valerie Carson, Catherine E. Draper, Anthony Okely, John J. Reilly, and Mark S. Tremblay
Data Coaching: A Strategy to Address Youth Physical Behavior, Motor Competence, and Out-of-School Time Leader Evidence-Based Practices
Peter Stoepker and David A. Dzewaltowski
The “Matildas Effect”: Will the FIFA Women’s World Cup Generate a Legacy in Australia?
Ding Ding, Katherine Owen, Adrian E. Bauman, Gregore I. Mielke, and Klaus Gebel
“Post or Perish”? An Early Career Researcher’s Guide to Using Social Media
Emma S. Cowley, Kelly McNulty, Ciaran M. Fairman, and Lee Stoner
Social media usage has soared in the last decade, with the majority of adults having an account on at least one platform. Sites such as LinkedIn, X, and TikTok allow users to share content using different forms, for example, written or video, long form or short form. Social media can be used by researchers to forge collaborations, rapidly disseminate new research, and demonstrate societal impact. This opinion piece aims to highlight the value of social media, in particular for early career researchers, and offer suggestions on how early career researchers can strategically use social media to build a network and an online presence. We reflect on our own experiences of social media and include some of the reasons we have been deterred from it in the past, such as fear of making a mistake, being misunderstood, or painted as being an overconfident “know it all.” As the demonstration of impact and engagement becomes ever more important in grant applications and job security, social media competency is a powerful professional skill that will be important for all scientists.
Charting a Course: Navigating Rigor and Meaning in Global Health Research
Tiago Canelas, Motlatso Godongwana, Feyisayo A. Wayas, Estelle Victoria Lambert, Yves Wasnyo, and Louise Foley
In the rapidly evolving landscape of global health research, the tension between scientific rigor and contextual meaning presents a critical challenge. Drawing on our work with the Global Diet and Physical Activity Network, this commentary explores the complexities of conducting environmental audits for physical activity and diet in 4 rapidly urbanizing African cities: Yaoundé, Lagos, Cape Town, and Soweto. We illustrate the competing demands and tensions that researchers face in balancing rigor and meaning. We discuss the adaptation of internationally validated audit tools to local contexts and the importance of area-level deprivation in interpreting data. We also examine the feasibility of virtual assessment tools, emphasizing the value of local expertise. We argue for a balanced approach that marries research rigor with contextual meaning, advocating for transparency, humility, and meaningful community engagement.
Participant Bias in Community-Based Physical Activity Research: A Consistent Limitation?
Iris A. Lesser, Amanda Wurz, Corliss Bean, Nicole Culos-Reed, Scott A. Lear, and Mary Jung
Physical activity is a beneficial, yet complex, health behavior. To ensure more people experience the benefits of physical activity, we develop and test interventions to promote physical activity and its associated benefits. Nevertheless, we continue to see certain groups of people who choose not to, or are unable to, take part in research, resulting in “recruitment bias.” In fact, we (and others) are seemingly missing large segments of people and are doing little to promote physical activity research to equity-deserving populations. So, how can we better address recruitment bias in the physical activity research we conduct? Based on our experience, we have identified 5 broad, interrelated, and applicable strategies to enhance recruitment and engagement within physical activity interventions: (1) gain trust, (2) increase community support and participation, (3) consider alternative approaches and designs, (4) rethink recruitment strategies, and (5) incentivize participants. While we recognize there is still a long way to go, and there are broader community and societal issues underlying recruitment to research, we hope this commentary prompts researchers to consider what they can do to try to address the ever-present limitation of “recruitment bias” and support greater participation among equity-deserving groups.
Striking a Balance: Physical Activity and Planetary Health
Katja Siefken and Karim Abu-Omar
Reducing LGBTQ+ Physical Activity Disparities Through Improved Measurement and Inclusion of Sexual Orientation in US National Data Sets
Keegan T. Peterson and Melissa Bopp
Adequate participation in physical activity (PA) is effective in reducing negative health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, as well as stress, anxiety, and depression. However, 1 in 4 adults meet the PA guidelines, with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons reporting increased rates of inactivity and higher rates of negative health outcomes. Limited research can be conducted on best methods to promote PA among LGBTQ+ adults as there is a lack of standardized measurements for both sexual orientation status and PA used in US national data set methodologies. A call to action is warranted to highlight the lack of uniform methodologies for collecting both sexual orientation and PA data in national data sets, with an overall goal of promoting inclusion and transparency of sexual orientation as a primary, secondary, and tertiary influence on PA. The current societal disconnect of national data sets collecting sexual orientation does not allow for proper extrapolation within the LGBTQ+ classifications. LGBTQ+ identities each report differing PA and health outcomes, promoting the need for proper sexual orientation measures. Without this inclusion, we will continue to see larger health disparities among LGBTQ+ persons due to outdated measurements in current US national data sets. This commentary provides sexual orientation status on health outcomes linked to physical inactivity, the need to include uniform sexual orientation measures in national data sets, and implications of the inclusion of this measure to conduct PA research as it relates to health outcomes.