STAKEHOLDERS' PERSPECTIVES ON PROMOTING HEALTH ENHANCING SPORTS THROUGH THE RWANDA SPORTS POLICY

L. Mukaruzima^1,2, J. Duhamahoro³, J.M. Frantz⁴

¹Rwanda Military Hospital, Physiotherapy, Kigali, Rwanda, ²University of Rwanda, Physiotherapy, Kigali, Rwanda, ³Physique Clinic Limited, Physiotherapy, Kigali, Rwanda, ⁴University of the Western Cape, Office of the Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Cape Town, South Africa

Background: The government of Rwanda initiated policies to institutionalize sport as an overarching approach not only to fuel the socioeconomic development, but to also promote physical activity as a healthy lifestyle. It is thus important to understand the perspectives of stakeholders, in terms of their roles and active involvement in implementing the sports policy, as this may positively influence the policy outcomes.

Purpose: To understand the perspectives of stakeholders, in terms of their roles and active involvement in implementing the sports policy objectives along the lines of promoting sports for health.

Methods: A qualitative study design was used, and thirteen (13) purposively sampled stakeholders were interviewed using in-depth semi structured interviews. Participants were selected from the stakeholder institutions responsible to implement the Rwanda Sports Policy as stipulated in the policy. They were selected based on their profiles: either they participated in the policy development directly or indirectly, or they were in charge of the sports department in that institution, as recommended by the respective institutional leadership. All interviews were recorded by the researcher upon participants consent, and data was transcribed verbatim. During transcription, participants names were anonymous and only codes were used as identifiers to ensure confidentiality. Thematic and narrative analysis using Atlas.ti were used to analyze data and report the findings.

Results: The themes highlighted a progressive awareness of the Sports Policy pertaining to health outcomes, less involvement of stakeholders in sport policy formulation, disproportionate efforts between promoting sports for health, competitive, and mass sports activities. Also, a mixed response on the congruence between work-related sports programs and institutional goals was noted. Stakeholders further underscored contextual factors like cultural beliefs, attitude, lack of a monitoring and evaluation structure, as some of the key constraints that affect promotion of sports for health.

Conclusions: The findings emphasize the importance of the general sports policy in having a well-planned strategy to promote sports for health: for instance, through social marketing efforts targeting the wider population, and a need to strengthen the collaboration among the stakeholders in order to improve the policy implementation process.

Implications: Findings provide scientific basis to inform decision makers the importance of stakeholder involvement not only in policy implementation, but also in its formulation and adoption for possible better outcomes. Stakeholders also highlighted some of the key constraints that hinder the promotion of sports for health, and suggestions on how to address them.

Funding acknowledgements: The authors thank the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) & The government of Rwanda for supporting the research project.

Keywords:
Health Enhancing Sports
Policy implementation
Policy stakeholders

Topics:
Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Globalisation: health systems, policies & strategies
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) & risk factors

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: University of the Western Cape & Ministry of Education, Rwanda

Committee: National Health Research Committee of Rwanda

Ethics number: NHRC/2015/PROT/009