Research Categories

The value of sport provides an online monitoring service of the most up-to-date reference sources and critical reviews of published research evidence on the contribution of sport to a range of broader social issues:

Crime reduction and community safety

This section contains research on two broad areas:

• Sports-based programmes for ‘at-risk’ populations.
• Sports-based programmes aimed at the rehabilitation of offenders

Economic Impact and regeneration of local communities

This section contains research on four broad areas:

• The direct and indirect economic benefits to be derived from general increases in fitness and health.
• The overall economic importance of sport to the economy.
• The economic importance of sports teams to cities.
• The economic impact of sporting events.

Education and lifelong learning

This section contains research on two broad areas:

• The direct relationship between sports participation and school-based educational performance.
• The indirect relationship between sports participation and school-based educational performance.
• The role of sports volunteering in lifelong learning.

Participation

This section contains research on two broad areas:

• The relationship between childhood and adolescent participation and ‘life-long participation
• Factors that facilitate or constrain participation, especially among young people.

Physical Fitness and Health

This section contains research and evidence on complex and wide-ranging issues relating to the impact of physical activity on various aspects of health. It includes

• Comprehensive reviews of general evidence.
• Consideration of dose-response relationships.
• Reviews of the relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular health and bone density and osteoporosis.
• Reviews of the relationship between sports participation and more general health behaviours among young people.
• The effects of physical activity on the health of older people.

Psychological Health and Well-being

This section contains work covering several related areas:

• The relationship between physical activity and general aspects of psychological well-being; self esteem; the management of anxiety and depression.
• Work on general life satisfaction material dealing with specific groups (older women, children and young people)
• The role of sport in assisting personal and social integration among people with disabilities.

Social capacity and cohesion

This section contains research addressing these issues at various levels:

• Large scale sports development programmes
• Community impact of amateur and professional sports clubs.
• The role of sport and volunteering in developing pro-social behaviours.
• Sport’s role in developing peer relationships. Education and lifelong learning
• The meaning of sport for minority ethnic groups.