Sport & Physical Activity –
It’s Role in Public Health.
How participation in sport & activity can reduce alcohol intake
& assist with smoking cessation
Facilitators:
Gemma Foley
Mark Bennett
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Who are we? and what do we do?
• Mark Bennett - Reparation officer for
Hertfordshire Youth Justice. Qualified Rugby
Coach, Qualified Boxercise Instructor.
• Gemma Foley – Forensic Adolescent
Practitioner, Camhs worker for Hertfordshire
Youth Justice. Qualified Level 2 Exercise to
Music Instructor.
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Why Run a Health and Well Being
Group for Young Offenders in Herts?
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Identifying a need
•
Asset (assessment tool used in Youth Justice) identified high
areas of need and risk under the following areas:
• Drugs and alcohol – high rates of alcohol, drug use and smoking
tobacco amongst young offenders in Hertfordshire – Area of
Watford and Three Rivers
• Physical health – high proportion of young offenders smoking
tobacco.
• Emotional and Mental Health - High rates of emotional,
behavioural and mental health difficulties.
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Reasons to carry out a health and
well being group
• Facilitators have skills, qualifications and a specialist
interest in the area of sport and exercise.
• It was felt that a more practical approach to health
promotion would improve levels of engagement and
positive outcomes for long term change in this client
group.
• Lots of research highlighting benefits of exercise for
both physical and emotional wellbeing.
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Research Evidence:
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report dated 17th
June 2011. Study involved 5,700 Teenagers.
• “Young people are more likely to drink alcohol if they
have little positive activity in their lives”
• “ physical activity made young people more self aware,
proud of there physical health, take responsibility for
their health and built their self confidence and body
image. This made it less likely for them to engage in
binge drinking behaviour”
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Research Evidence:
• The Guardian Newspaper (2008) Study by Positive
Futures Project.
• “almost half of teenagers questioned in the study said
they thought more sports and leisure activities were the
way to divert young people from alcohol”
• Psychology of Sport & Exercise May (2009) Vol 10 (3)
381-389
• “Children who spent time in sports had higher self
esteem scores then those who did not. In summary
Exercise is a means to promote self worth & other
important physical self perceptions like body image”
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Aims of the Group
• To Educate and inform the group members of the long term and
short term health implications of using alcohol and drugs
(inclusive of smoking Tobacco)
• To highlight the benefits of exercise on both physical and mental
wellbeing and provide group members with opportunities to
experience engagement in some form of physical activity.
• To encourage young people to consider using exercise as a
coping strategy to manage stress rather then using other
maladaptive strategies ie alcohol, drugs and smoking.
• Overall Aim: To increase Young peoples awareness about how
to improve and maintain there health and well being.
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Structure of the group
• Client group: YOT cases (male
only) Pilot Group
•
Age: 14-17
• Session 1: - Introduction to group
/ Aims and rules of the group.
Circuits
• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Session 2: - Smoking cessation.
Badminton/Table Tennis.
• Location: Community resources in
Watford and Three Rivers District.
• Session 3: - Drugs and alcohol.
Boxing.
• Session 4:- Nutrition. Football
• Session 5 – Benefits of exercise on
Physical and Emotional Health.
Circuits
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Use of the Rosenberg Self esteem
Scale (Rosenberg, 1965)
• Used to assess participants levels of self esteem
pre and post exercise.
• Tool used for every session with each
participant to ascertain longer term gains and to
encourage them to reflect on how they feel
following engagement in physical activity.
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Self Esteem Outcome Measures:
Session 1
Self esteem scores
30
25
20
Pre scores
15
Post Scores
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Young people
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Self Esteem Outcome Measures
Session 2
Self esteem scores
35
30
25
20
Pre scores
15
Post scores
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
Young people
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Self Esteem Outcome Measures
Session 3
Self esteem scores
30
25
20
Pre Scores
15
Post scores
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Young people
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Other Interventions used alongside
Exercise
• Discussions & Debates
• Obstacle course using
beer goggles.
• Space to Reflect
• Drug box
• Use of monitoring
Systems: Re: Self esteem,
BP & Pulse.
• Tar jar and phlegm jar
• Money and health wheels
• Quiz
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Positive Statements!!!
• Here are some statements made by young
people that indicate contemplation to change!.
I could save
how much?
Smoking makes
your fingers go
yellow!
I might join
the boxing
club again
Can cannabis
really effect your
sperm count!!!!
I am not as
fit as I
thought!!
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Analysis of Graphs/ Future
Questions?
• Is there a significant difference in the impact of
exercise on self esteem depending on intensity?
• Is there a difference between the impact of
exercise on self esteem depending on duration
of activity?
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Development of Group.
• To progress group across the county.
• To utilise group across both Genders ( Pilot only used
with Male clients).
• To continue collecting Evidence using Rosenberg Self
Esteem Questionnaire and other outcome measure
tools i.e. carbon dioxide measures, BP and pulse
readings.
• Opportunity to gain AQA Qualifications
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Future Considerations/ Potential
Limitations:
• How to implement longer term use of exercise
after group is finished?
• Affordability
• Accessibility of services
• Sustainability (Motivation to maintain by the
young people)
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Questions!!!!
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