{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,31]],"date-time":"2025-08-31T23:33:02Z","timestamp":1756683182347,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,10]],"date-time":"2021-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633824000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,10]],"date-time":"2021-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633824000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>The \u201c<jats:italic>parkrun<\/jats:italic>: running or volunteering for everyone\u201d (PROVE) project was an example of a community-based physical activity and volunteering initiative for people living with long-term health conditions in England. The 3\u00a0year project involved appointing volunteer Outreach Ambassadors whose role was to promote <jats:italic>parkrun<\/jats:italic> to people living with long-term health conditions through various outreach activities. This qualitative study aimed to understand the experience of delivering the project from the perspective of volunteer Outreach Ambassadors and the PROVE Project Manager.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>The PROVE Project Manager and ten PROVE Outreach Ambassadors across nine health condition groups were interviewed by the researcher (asthma, blood pressure, deaf and hard of hearing, dementia, diabetes, endometriosis, heart conditions, learning disabilities and\/or autism, and obesity). Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Four themes and nine sub-themes were generated. The participants highlighted challenges in measuring the project\u2019s success and bringing about meaningful and lasting change, and reflected on the value of the project as a learning opportunity. Despite some successes, it was thought that the project had limited reach outside of the existing <jats:italic>parkrun<\/jats:italic> community. The Outreach Ambassadors reflected on their experiences in the role and the skills required, finding it rewarding and highlighting the importance of networking and forming connections with key stakeholders. The findings are discussed in comparison to interviews conducted with the Outreach Ambassadors 12\u00a0months earlier.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>This study provides evidence to support the public health potential of <jats:italic>parkrun<\/jats:italic> though targeted initiatives such as the PROVE project and provides a critical reflection on what worked and what did not work when delivering the project. The findings have relevance for organisations wishing to implement similar outreach initiatives using a volunteer workforce, including recommendations for resource management, communication, leadership, fostering volunteer autonomy and defining and capturing success.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s13102-021-00351-8","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,10]],"date-time":"2021-10-10T21:51:02Z","timestamp":1633902662000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Engaging people with long-term health conditions in a community-based physical activity initiative: a qualitative follow-up study evaluating the parkrun PROVE project"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2716-4681","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helen","family":"Quirk","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4449-6680","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steve","family":"Haake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,10]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"351_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jacc.2015.10.044","volume":"67","author":"L Anderson","year":"2016","unstructured":"Anderson L, Oldridge N, Thompson DR, Zwisler A-D, Rees K, Martin N, et al. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease: cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(1):1\u201312.","journal-title":"J Am Coll Cardiol"},{"key":"351_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Turner RR, Steed L, Quirk H, Greasley RU, Saxton JM, Taylor SJ, et al. Interventions for promoting habitual exercise in people living with and beyond cancer. Cochrane Database System Rev. 2018;9.","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD010192.pub3"},{"issue":"11","key":"351_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2065","DOI":"10.2337\/dc16-1728","volume":"39","author":"SR Colberg","year":"2016","unstructured":"Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Yardley JE, Riddell MC, Dunstan DW, Dempsey PC, et al. Physical activity\/exercise and diabetes: a position statement of the American Diabetes Association. 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Written informed consent was received from all participants. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"HQ and SH are both <i>parkrun<\/i> participants and members of the <i>parkrun<\/i> Research Board at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University (SH is Chair of the <i>parkrun<\/i> Research Board, HQ is Deputy Chair). The funding body (<i>parkrun<\/i>) were not involved the writing of this manuscript. Representatives of the funder (Chrissie Wellington, Frank Jones) reviewed and approved the final manuscript.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"123"}}