Critical processes for creating health-promoting sporting environments in Australia

The reach of sporting organizations into the community makes them an ideal vehicle through which to promote health to the general population. There are now a number of documented examples demonstrating that sponsorship can lead to improvements in the health of the sporting environment, but relatively little is known as to why some sponsorships are more successful in achieving these structural changes than others in ostensibly similar sports. The purpose of this study was to identify the processes required for health promotion agencies and sporting organizations working in collaboration to implement structural changes in sporting settings such as smoke-free environments, provision of healthy food choices, responsible alcohol management and sun protection, along with the factors that facilitate and hinder this from being achieved. We conclude that such changes are difficult to achieve, especially in the absence of a programmatic approach to health promotion.