Block Karen, Molyneaux Robyn, Young Dana
Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Naarm, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
Health Promot Int. 2025 May 13;40(3). doi: 10.1093/heapro/daaf051.
Social capital is a critical determinant of health, yet few intervention studies have explored how social capital might be generated for those with constrained social networks. This study aimed to assess the well-being and social impacts of a sports participation intervention for culturally and racially marginalized (CARM) migrant young people in Australia. We report findings from a mixed methods participatory action research project, Count Me In. Quantitative findings demonstrated that participation generated growth in social networks for participants, indicating that interventions to support sports participation can generate social capital, rather than it simply being the case that those with more a priori social connections are more likely to participate. Qualitative analyses showed parents and young people experienced highly valued social benefits including increased diversity of connections along with perceived physical and mental health gains from their participation. Findings from this study suggest that policies and health promotion efforts should support opportunities for CARM young people and families to participate in mainstream sports club settings in addition to participation in informal and ethno-specific sports. Additional research is needed to further understand how the social networks that are generated are operationalized by children and families over the longer term, and the health-enhancing impacts of social capital interventions for those with constrained social networks at risk of marginalization.
社会资本是健康的关键决定因素，但很少有干预研究探讨如何为社交网络受限的人群创造社会资本。本研究旨在评估一项体育参与干预措施对澳大利亚文化和种族边缘化的移民青少年的幸福感和社会影响。我们报告了一个混合方法参与式行动研究项目“算我一个”的研究结果。定量研究结果表明，参与为参与者带来了社交网络的扩展，这表明支持体育参与的干预措施可以创造社会资本，而不是简单地认为那些先天社会关系更多的人更有可能参与。定性分析表明，家长和青少年体验到了非常有价值的社会效益，包括人际关系多样性的增加以及参与带来的身心健康提升。本研究结果表明，政策和健康促进工作应支持文化和种族边缘化的青少年及其家庭除了参与非正式和特定族裔的体育活动外，还有机会参与主流体育俱乐部活动。还需要进一步研究，以更深入了解所形成的社交网络如何被儿童及其家庭长期运用，以及社会资本干预措施对那些面临边缘化风险且社交网络受限的人群的健康促进影响。
