The connection between the primary care and the physical activity sector: professionals' perceptions

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Healthcare Management
• Sports Science

Background:

• Introduction of Care Sport Connectors (CSC) in the Netherlands in 2012 to promote physical activity (PA) and connect primary care patients with local PA facilities.
• The CSC role was designed as a broker to facilitate this connection between the healthcare and sports sectors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate primary care, welfare, and sport professionals' perceptions of the CSC role.
• To assess the effectiveness of the connection established between the primary care and the PA sector.

Main Methods:

• Nine focus groups were conducted with professionals from primary care, welfare, and sport sectors within the CSC network.
• Analysis of discussions on the CSC role and inter-sectoral connections using both top-down and bottom-up coding approaches.

Main Results:

• Professionals identified three key roles for CSC: broker, referral agent, and facilitator.
• While enthusiastic about the connection's establishment, professionals cited significant barriers: primary care's lack of time, funding, and knowledge, and the PA sector's shortage of suitable activities and instructors.

Conclusions:

• The CSC role is perceived as promising for enhancing PA and inter-sectoral collaboration.
• Overcoming barriers requires increased time allocation for CSCs and organizational changes within both primary care and the PA sector to ensure successful integration.