An exploration of Parkrun to promote social inclusion in newly arrived migrant women from CaLD backgrounds living in Western AustraliA

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Year: 2021 -

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Funding details: N/A

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Project Team: Dr Justine Leavy (Curtin University), Dr Gemma Crawford (Curtin University), Associate Professor Jonine Jancey (Curtin University), Parkrun Australia. 

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The context: Participation in physical activity (PA) positively impacts mental and social wellbeing. However, physical inactivity persists as a challenge for many groups. Some populations, for example women, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CaLD) may be less likely to participate in PA due to factors related to migration. As migration to Australia increases, effective public health strategies are required to support CaLD groups to overcome barriers to participating in PA. 

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Brief overview: Parkrun is a weekly, community-based, highly accessible PA opportunity held globally that brings together people of all ages and abilities. Parkruns have been established for specific populations such as prison inmates, however as yet there is no event for women, specifically those from CaLD backgrounds. Using peers and photo-voice methods, this project will explore and evaluate the impact of parkrun specifically for newly arrived migrant women from CaLD backgrounds living and studying in Victoria Park, Western Australia.

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Objectives:

• Establish a CaLD reference group to use co-design to inform formative research for parkrun for women from a CaLD background

• Train culturally appropriate peers to champion parkrun participation and volunteering

• Use photo-voice to identify key community elements important for CaLD participation in community-based PA events such as parkrun

• Develop guidelines for the implementation of culturally supportive PA opportunities for women from CaLD backgrounds.

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Project impacts: In 2016, 15.6% of the local community are from overseas including Malaysia, China, India, and Indonesia. The target population will be drawn from parkrun Curtin (launched in February 2020). Curtin University (Bentley) is the largest and most multicultural university in WA. In 2016, 30.1% of the student population was from CaLD backgrounds. The outputs will inform strategies for social inclusion and recommendations to Local Government and a large tertiary institution.