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Activating inactive citizens through the organized sports setting: a hurdle race = Activeren van inactieve burgers in de georganiseerde sportomgeving: een weg met hindernissen.

Ooms, L. Activating inactive citizens through the organized sports setting: a hurdle race = Activeren van inactieve burgers in de georganiseerde sportomgeving: een weg met hindernissen. Utrecht: Nivel, 2020. 228 p. p. Proefschrift Universiteit Utrecht
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Physical inactivity increases the risk for chronic diseases and mortality, and is a problem faced by countries worldwide. Strategies to promote physical activity among inactive target groups are therefore necessary. In this regard, a settings-based approach towards physical activity promotion has been encouraged. The organized sports setting, in particular sports clubs, is seen as a promising setting to increase physical activity among inactive groups within a population (chapter 1). The main focus of this thesis was to understand if and how the organized sports setting can successfully contribute to increasing physical activity levels among inactive people. Fourteen Dutch sporting programs aimed at increasing sport participation in inactive population groups, were studied during the three-year funded implementation period and six and half years thereafter. These programs were developed by ten National Sports Federations (NSFs) as part of the National Action Plan for Sport and Exercise (NAPSE) and implemented by sports clubs in the Netherlands (period 2008-2011). The research in this thesis focused on the effectiveness of two programs within the NAPSE and characteristics of insufficiently active participants who benefited the most from these programs in terms of increasing health-enhancing physical activity. Furthermore, factors influencing the implementation and long-term sustainability of all NAPSE programs were examined. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used.