Who Chooses to Use Multi-purpose Recreation Facilities for Their Physical Activity Setting?
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Donaldson, Alex , Mahoney, Mary , Otago, Leonie
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport health Vol. 27, no. 2 (2009), p. 16-18
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
What do users of multi-purpose recreation facilities think about safety at those facilities?
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Donaldson, Alex , Otago, Leonie , Mahoney, Mary
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport Health Vol. 27, no. 3 (2009), p. 31-35
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The multi-purpose recreation facilities (MPRF) users' perceptions of the safety-related policies and practices within those facilities are discussed. Some of the measures that can be applied by MPRF managers and others to promote safety in these facilities are highlighted.
- Description: 2003008196
The safety policies and practices of community multi-purpose recreation facilities
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Donaldson, Alex , Mahoney, Mary , Otago, Leonie
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Safety Science Vol. 47, no. 10 (2009), p. 1346-1350
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This research investigated the under-explored area of safety in multi-purpose recreation facilities (MPRFs). Facility managers and other managerial staff (key informants) from four MPRFs in Victoria, Australia participated in semi-structured interviews. Safety was considered important from Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), business viability and legal liability perspectives but not from a health promotion or public health point of view. Most implemented injury prevention measures required gymnasium and pool staff or users to change their behaviours. Awareness of safety standards was higher for some operational areas (e.g. aquatics, child-care) than others (e.g. gymnasium, group fitness activities). Key informants struggled to keep abreast of legislation changes and they relied on commercial, regulatory, and industry information sources rather than evidence of best practice. Reported factors influencing safety in MPRFs were classified into three types: internal (e.g. training, culture); external (e.g. weather, demographic change); and governance (e.g. insurance, industry standards). Comprehensive, relevant and accessible industry safety standards, which focus not only on OH&S but equally on health promotion principles and public health perspectives linked to injury prevention, are required. Training is needed to reflect these broader and equally important perspectives. Health/injury, fitness/recreation and insurance sector links should be improved to ensure a consistent, sustainable approach to safety. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: 2003008180
The safety attitudes of people who use multi-purpose recreation facilities as a physical activity setting
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Otago, Leonie , White, Peta , Donaldson, Alex , Mahoney, Mary
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion Vol. 18, no. 2 (2011), p. 107-112
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Multi-purpose recreation facilities (MPRFs) are a popular setting for physical activity and it is therefore important that they are safe for all patrons. However, the attitudes of MPRF users towards safety are a potential barrier to the success of injury prevention programmes implemented within MPRFs. This article reports a survey of the safety attitudes of over 700 users of four indoor MPRFs. Factor analysis of 12 five-point Likert scale statements showed that the attitudes clustered around three major dimensions - the importance of safety, the benefits of safety and the perceptions of injury risk. Together, these three dimensions accounted for 49% of the variability in the attitudes. More than 85% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that: safety was an important aspect of physical activity participation; being injured affected enjoyment of physical activity; people should adopt appropriate safety measures for all physical activity; and individuals were responsible for their own safety. The MPRF users, particularly women and older people, were generally safety conscious, believed in adopting safety measures, and were willing to take responsibility for their own safety. Facility managers can be confident that if they provide evidence-based injury prevention interventions in these settings, then users will respond appropriately and adopt the promoted behaviours. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.