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Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 18344

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ruth Jeanes

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Education, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, Frankston, 3199, Australia
Interests: sport; social inclusion; community development; disability; gender

Dr. Justen O'Connor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Education, Monash University, Peninsula Campus, Frankston, 3199, Australia
Interests: physical activity; social ecology; systems theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this special issue is to examine the interrelationships between physical activity, active recreation, sport and sustainability. In western societies, the need for individuals to engage in regular, sustainable forms of physical activity is at an all-time high. The significant mental and physical health benefits that come from participating in a range of physical activities have resulted in a global policy agenda seeking to encourage populations to be more active, more regularly. This special issue invites papers that consider the relationships between sustainability and physical activity, sport and active recreation participation. Papers are invited from a broad range of perspectives and may consider (but not limited to) the connections between physical activity and environmental sustainability, factors contributing to sustainable physical activity, sport and active recreation within communities, relationships between sport, physical activity, active recreation and sustainable development, sport as a platform for sustainability education. Authors are invited to contribute to this issue by submitting conceptual or research articles. Papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer-review process with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Dr. Ruth Jeanes
Dr. Justen O' Connor
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

physical activity
sport
sustainability
development
active recreation
policy
education

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Core Stability and Electromyographic Activity of the Trunk Musculature in Different Woman’s Sports

by Paula Esteban-García, Jacobo Á. Rubio-Arias, Javier Abián-Vicen, Jorge Sánchez-Infante and José Fernando Jiménez-Díaz

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9880; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12239880 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2405

Abstract

Volleyball players and gymnasts need strength training to achieve their optimum sport performance. The aims of this study were to describe body composition, strength, performance, and characteristics of trunk muscle activation in volleyball players and gymnasts, and to analyze the differences between the sports. The sample consisted of 40 female athletes: rhythmic gymnasts (n = 24; age 13.95 ± 2.77 years) and volleyball players (n = 16; age 19.81 ± 5.55 years). Body composition, maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of isometric tests in an isokinetic dynamometer, McGill core endurance test, and surface electromyography (EMGrms) of the trunk muscle during the McGill test and isometric tests were recorded. Rhythmic gymnasts presented lower body composition values than volleyball players (p < 0.05). The volleyball players presented higher isometric strength than rhythmic gymnasts in terms of MVC in trunk flexion (p < 0.05, d = 1.3) and trunk extension (p < 0.001, d = 1.3). EMGrms from the rhythmic gymnasts were greater for trunk flexor muscles (p < 0.01, d = 0.7) and trunk extensor muscles (p < 0.001, d = 1.3) during McGill endurance tests compared to the volleyball players. In the isometric test, EMGrms from the rhythmic gymnasts were greater for trunk flexor muscles in flexion (p < 0.01, d = 0.9) and extension tests (p < 0.05, d = 0.7). In conclusion, the volleyball players exhibited higher peak strength, despite the fact that the gymnasts showed greater muscle activity during the maximum voluntary contraction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

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13 pages, 1421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring and Monitoring Sustainability in Listed European Football Clubs: A Value-Added Reporting Perspective

by Alessio Faccia, Leonardo José Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Hussein Munoz Helù and Daniel Range

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9853; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12239853 - 25 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5049

Abstract

All sports have their roots and connection in some way to the Olympic spirit, and therefore fall within the vision and mission of the Olympic Committee, which has a central aim of “building a better world”. This is a fundamental value of the Olympics and sustainability is a “working principle” of this. This research analyses the performance of professional European football teams that are publicly listed on stock markets, analysing their income statements and factoring in how the value-added perspective is impacting professional sport. The methodology we use considers the sustainable contribution of the distribution of added value. The Value-Added Statement is considered as a part of broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which can be traced back as a concept to the late 1970s. It is still in widespread use and is regarded as being both a credible and a tested measure. In this paper, the authors apply a slightly modified and simplified version of this value-added approach to all publicly listed European football clubs and use these as a proxy for wider professional sport. This research demonstrates that, although most professional sports clubs are profit-oriented, the distribution of wealth generated by the added value is unbalanced. In most cases, at least in financial terms, the data shows shareholders are the most disadvantaged, whereas athletes are the most rewarded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

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18 pages, 1502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Reciprocity Mechanism of Social Initiatives in Sport: The Mediating Effect of Gratitude

by Seung Pil Lee

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12219279 - 09 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2252

Abstract

The study aims to explore a conceptual model for the sustainable reciprocity relationships in sport-based initiatives and empirically test the model and its underlying mechanism in the context of a real sport-based national initiative. Adapting a seminal work from social work literature as a theoretical framework and the following measurement for the social impact of sport from sport management literature, a conceptual model addressing sport participation, gratitude, social benefits, and prosocial behaviors is presented. Two separate surveys were conducted through face-to-face interviews with independent and random samples representing the Singaporean residents in October 2014 for Study 1 (n = 500) and February 2015 for Study 2 (n = 501). The results demonstrate that the frequency of participation in a range of daily sport activities of a national sport initiative positively influences the perceived value of social capital and health literacy through the mediation effect of gratitude. The study also demonstrates that participation in sport activities positively influences prosocial behavioral intention through the serial mediation effect of gratitude and social capital. The findings implies how we better understand and utilize the dynamic power of gratitude to sustain the win–win relationships to multi-stakeholders in the contexts of sport-based initiatives based on the nature of reciprocity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

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10 pages, 744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changing Levels of Myokines after Aerobic Training and Resistance Training in Post-Menopausal Obese Females: A Randomized Controlled Trial

by Sunghwun Kang, Il Bong Park and Seung-Taek Lim

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8413; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12208413 - 13 Oct 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2269

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the levels of myokines in post- menopausal obese females (PMOF) after regular aerobic and resistance training. A community-based, randomized controlled trial study of 41 PMOF from Buk-gu Community Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea, was conducted from November 2017 through October 2018. These participants were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercise group (n = 21) or a resistance exercise group (n = 20). The 12-week exercise program was conducted three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). Body composition, physical fitness, and myokines were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. The two-way within-factor ANOVA revealed group × time interaction for body mass index (BMI, p < 0.05). In the resistance exercise group, muscle endurance (p < 0.001), power (p < 0.01), and agility (p < 0.001) improved significantly at 12 weeks compared to baseline and 6 weeks. In the aerobic exercise group, muscle strength (p < 0.05), flexibility (p < 0.05), muscle endurance (p < 0.001), and agility (p < 0.001) were greater at 12 weeks compared to baseline and 6 weeks. The levels of IL-6 (p < 0.001), IL-15 (p < 0.001), and BDNF (p < 0.001) were greater at 12 weeks compared to baseline and 6 weeks in both exercise groups. Aerobic exercise training and resistance exercise training changed the levels of myokines and improved body composition and physical fitness in PMOF. These findings provide preliminary evidence that PMOF need to exercise or perform physical activity to improve or maintain their levels of myokines and physical fitness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

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14 pages, 227 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Working for a Sustainable Surfing Community: Becoming a Local Surfer at a New Home Destination

by Hanbeom Kim and Sun-Yong Kwon

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6865; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12176865 - 24 Aug 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2841

Abstract

South Korea used to be a non-surfing region until it experienced a remarkable realization of the surfing phenomenon, the so-called “surfing boom”, during the past couple of decades. The nonexistence of surfing communities or cultures offers a unique context that surfers have to deal with to become local surfers. The migration status of surfers further complicates the process of local surfer identity construction. This particular context provided migrant surfers with unique socio-spatial challenges and tasks that led them to a certain desire for sustainable surfing milieu. This paper aims to explore the experiences of early migrant surfers when constructing their local surfer identity. Data were collected through fieldwork, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. The early migrant surfers perceived becoming local surfers to be a process of making a new life while they were settling on their new “home”. Thus, they desired a sustainable surfing environment not only with the surf breaks but also with the whole regional community they live in. Hence, becoming a local surfer was becoming a local villager at the same time. They put forth multilateral community endeavors to construct and maintain social and emotional bonds with local authorities, local native residents, and the community environment. Through their interactions with the wider rural community, it was hoped that they would also actually contribute to the formation and maintenance of that rural community for sustainable surfing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

13 pages, 981 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Sport Development: The Influence of Competitive-Grouping and Relative Age on the Performance of Young Triathletes

by Alberto Ferriz-Valero, Salvador García Martínez, Javier Olaya-Cuartero and Miguel García-Jaén

Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6792; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12176792 - 21 Aug 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2793

Abstract

Competitive-grouping by chronological age is a common organizational strategy in competition which may unintentionally promote relative age effects, for the benefit of older individuals within the same competitive-group, especially in young athletes. This work presents the aim of analyzing differences in young triathletes on their performance within each competitive group. A total of 1243 entries of both sexes, both children—13–14 years old—and cadets—15–17 years old—participated. Firstly, we identified the year in the competitive group and relative-age semester for all the triathletes who competed in a total of six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Secondly, the performance indicator was calculated in all the segments in a triathlon competition for all triathletes. The Kruskal-Wallis Test and U Mann Whitney Test was applied. It was observed that all cadet triathletes born in the first semester of the year (S1, born in January–June) were faster; for both boys and girls. Likewise, it was observed that older triathletes who competed within the same category were faster, but only in males and for both competitive groups: children (p < 0.0083), and cadet (p < 0.0033). In conclusion, families, coaches and sports political agencies need a greater knowledge and understanding of the effects of relative age and competitive grouping to understand the important role of age in the development of sports talent demonstrated in this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Physical Activity, Sport and Active Recreation)

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