Climate
Climate and environmental factors can have a significant impact on people's willingness and ability to participate in sport and physical activities.
Due to location, population demographics, and available resources, rural, regional, and remote communities can be vulnerable to, or impacted by, extremes of climate and the environment. 36, 37, 38
Climate and environmental factors can have a significant impact on people's willingness and ability to participate in sport and physical activities, especially outside. 8, 20 They can also impact on the type of facilities that are required, and the costs of building, maintenance, and longevity of infrastructure. For example, in northern parts of Australia shade structures must be able to withstand cyclones. 8 In other areas, seasonal droughts or flooding can lead to sports facilities requiring more significant or recurrent maintenance. 8, 20
Some climate and environmental factors that can impact individual comfort/motivation to participate in sport, as well as the accessibility and availability of places to participate can include:
- Weather, both seasonal (e.g., rains, heat/humidity during specific times of the year), or extreme (e.g., cyclones, droughts, floods) 8, 20
- Wildlife (e.g., snakes, kangaroos, crocodiles, sandflies, mosquitoes, jellyfish, etc.) 8, 61
Resources and reading
- How Gold Coast sporting codes are preparing for a fire ant threat this winter, opens in a new tab, Jake Garland, Gold Coast Bulletin, (26 February 2024). Some of Queensland major football codes have plans in place as they prepare for a rise in infestation of fire ants this winter. Fire ants forced Helensvale Cricket Club to abandon a cricket match and move the next two matches in January after they were spotted at Hession Oval, now other sporting codes are on red alert.
- The rural health impacts of climate change, opens in a new tab, National Rural Health Alliance, (27 September 2019). Climate change is one of the most pressing health issues facing rural, regional and remote Australia and the Alliance supports the many health professionals, organisations and global bodies who are calling for greater action to reduce emissions as well as for climate change to be taken seriously. Climate change urgently requires action from all levels of Government and society as a whole. People outside major cities are more likely to be impacted by ecological determinants of health such as the impact of natural disasters from fires, floods and storms; drought; biodiversity loss; water quality and quantity; food insecurity; ocean acidification, and climate change.
- On the Frontline: Climate Change and Rural Communities, opens in a new tab, Lesley Hughes, Lauren Rickards, Will Steffen, et al., Climate Council of Australia, (2016). Australia’s rural and regional communities experience many disadvantages compared to their urban counterparts. Unemployment rates are higher, and they experience greater rates of poverty and reduced access to health, education and transport services. The risks posed by climate change to health, security, environmental assets and economy threaten to exacerbate many of the social, economic and health inequalities already experienced by those in rural and regional areas. Rural and regional communities are particularly vulnerable to increasing droughts, bushfires and heatwaves being driven by climate change. Furthermore, decreases in rainfall significantly reduce runoff and increased temperatures result in high evaporation rates, with serious implications for water availability in rural and regional areas. In addition to affecting agricultural production, climate change also threatens to increase the cost of essential goods and services and rural and regional communities are often poorly equipped to deal with the health impacts of higher temperatures. While all Australians will be affected by these challenges, those living in rural communities will be the worst affected.
- ‘Women were just there to ruin his day’: the lived experiences of women golfers and leadership roles in regional Australia, opens in a new tab, Chelsea Litchfield, Sport in Society, Volume 26(4), pp.703-723, (2023). Studies addressing the social and gendered context of golf in Australia are limited. Further, less is known about women golf club members in regional Australia and their occupancy in leadership roles at clubs. This project seeks to understand the lived experiences of women at regional golf clubs in Australia, and in particular, their experiences with leadership and decision making at golf clubs. While part of larger research project, three specific themes were identified and discussed throughout this manuscript, including a lack of females in decision making roles; women golfers facing sexism, discrimination and exclusion, and strategies to change leadership cultures. Using an intersectional lens that focuses on the intersection of gender and age, each of these themes are analysed in relation to social and historical aspects of gendered golf club cultures.
- Going on a 'witch hunt': investigating the lived experiences of women working in male team sports in regional Australia, opens in a new tab, Hotham, Gabriella; Litchfield, Chelsea; Osborne, Jaquelyn, Sport in Society, Volume 24(3), pp.396-Mar2021, Vol. 24 Issue 3, p396-411, (2021). Male dominated team sports potentially provide many opportunities for women, through both voluntary and paid employment. However, very few studies focus on the experiences of women at a regional (or rural) level in sport. By examining the experiences of women working with male team sports at this level, insight into why women choose to be involved within male dominated sporting spaces can be explored, including the benefits and the barriers faced within these spaces. Such information is pertinent to the wider discussions relating to women in sport in Australia. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the lived experiences of female coaches, trainers, strappers, umpires, exercise scientists and administrators involved in regional male team sports in NSW (sports such as rugby league, Australian rules football, soccer and rugby union).
- Concerns about climate change among rural residents in Australia, opens in a new tab, Emma Austin, Jane Rich, Anthony Kiem, et al., Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 75, pp.98-109, (April 2020). Climate change impacts human health and there is growing recognition of the explicit consequences for mental health and wellbeing. Rural communities are recognised as one of the most vulnerable populations to climate change. The environmental, financial, health and social impacts of climate change were of greatest concern to rural residents.
- Sink or Swim? A survival analysis of sport dropout in Australian youth swimmers, opens in a new tab, Kylie Moulds, Shaun Abbott, Johan Pion, et.al., Scandinavian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports, Volume 30(11), pp.2222-2233, (2020). To examine long‐term participation and dropout rates in Australian youth swimming using survival analyses and to determine whether multiple individual, socio‐demographic, and competition‐related factors influenced dropout. Part 1—Registration data from N = 17 161 female (n = 9400) and male (n = 7761) New South Wales (NSW) swimmers aged 10‐15 years (inclusive). Part 2—Competition level involvement in a subsample of female (n = 1011) and male (n = 811) swimmers, aged 12‐15 years, was also examined. Residential proximity to major cities was associated with dropout, with urban swimmers reporting a 24.8% higher Hazard Rate than rural swimmers. In a large representative sample of swimmers, survival analyses identified age‐group, competition level, and city proximity were associated with increased swimming dropout rates.
- Participant-Centered sport development: A case study using the leisure constraints of women in regional communities, opens in a new tab, Kyle Rich, Matthew Nicholson, Erica Randl, et.al., Leisure Studies, (31 January 2019). Women in rural and regional communities experience social, cultural, and geographical constraints to sport, physical activity, and leisure participation. This study uses leisure constraints theory to explore the development and delivery of a casual, recreational physical activity program, stand up paddleboarding, for women in regional Victoria, Australia. In this study, we explore a collaborative approach to crafting a program that ensured the prescriptive, proscriptive, and descriptive constraints experienced by the women productively informed the development and delivery of a sustainable participation opportunity. We conclude that a participant-focused rather than an activity-focused approach to program development and delivery may be more effective in producing sustainable participation opportunities, particularly for underserved communities.
- The Impact of Changing Demography and Socioeconomic Environments, and Ageing in a Small, Rural Town in Australia, opens in a new tab, Pamela M. Irwin, Journal of Population Ageing, Volume 12, pp.247-269, (2019). In rural Australia, the recent global economic downturn was heralded by a highly competitive, global market neo-liberalisation, coupled with the effects of climate change, and a downward spiral of rural depopulation. These structural changes enabled the erosion of once vibrant and independent agricultural regions, and the amalgamation and/or collapse of many of the long-term political, economic, and social institutions in small towns. This paper explores the intersection of these population and socioeconomic changes, and ageing, in a small town in rural Australia.
- Participation profiles and the barriers and facilitators that impact on participation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders living in regional and remote Western Australia, opens in a new tab, Shani Mattinson, Marita Falkmer, Melissa H Black, et al., Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Volume 6(4), (December 2018). 32 families completed a questionnaire pack including a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Participation and Environment Measure – Children and Youth. Children with ASD had reduced participation in community activities. Within the home, children most commonly participated in computer and video games, and in school settings, children participated rarely in non-classroom and extracurricular activities. Parents reported a desire for their children to decrease time spent engaging in video games and increase time spent in the community, socializing, engaging in extracurricular activities, and completing chores. Parents reported a number of barriers to participation across community, home, and school settings.
- Physical activity of rurally residing children with a disability: A survey of parents and carers, opens in a new tab, Luke Wakely, Jessica Langham, Catherine Johnston, et al., Disability and Health Journal, Volume 11(1), pp.31-35, (January 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate parents' perceptions of physical activity opportunities for their child with a disability in a rural area. There were 34 completed surveys, a response rate of 37%. Participants' responses indicated 74% of children were not meeting daily recommendations of physical activity. Participation barriers including emotional, physical and environmental issues. Three main themes emerged from qualitative data; segregation, access to facilities and resources and barriers specific to the child. The children in this study were from rural areas and face similar barriers to children in metropolitan areas. However, they are also confronted with the same barriers children without a disability in rural areas face, participating in physical activity. This may have detrimental effects on their health and development.
- Who are the future volunteers in rural places? Understanding the demographic and background characteristics of non-retired rural volunteers, why they volunteer and their future migration intentions, opens in a new tab, Amanda Davies, Leonie Lockstone-Binney, Kirsten Holmes, Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 60, pp.167-175, (2018). A greater proportion of the rural Western Australian population was involved in volunteering than the Australian population. Sense of community and connectedness is very important for those who volunteer. 50% of those indicating they were to leave their rural community in the survey had volunteered in the previous three months. Lack of essential services was the key reason for volunteers leaving their community. Further research is required to understand changes in the nature of volunteering in rural areas over the life course.
- The facilitators and barriers of physical activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander regional sport participants, opens in a new tab, Claudie Péloquin, Thomas Doering, Stephanie Alley, et.al., Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 41(5), pp.474-479, (2017). Participants were 12 Indigenous Australian adults, and 12 non‐Indigenous Australian adults matched on age, sex, and basketball division. Most participants reported engaging in regular exercise; however, the Indigenous group reported more barriers to PA. These factors included cost, time management and environmental constraints. The physical facilitators identified by our Indigenous sample included social support, intrinsic motivation and role modelling. This study is the first to compare the perspective of Indigenous Australians to a matched group of non‐Indigenous Australians and provides useful knowledge to develop public health programs based on culturally sensitive data.
- 'Sacrifice and compromise': the lived experiences of regional adolescent girls in regional Victoria, Australia who have dropped out of organised sport, opens in a new tab [thesis], Carey, Lukas Peter, University of Southern Queensland, (2017). Recent research has demonstrated that the rate of dropout from sport by adolescent girls throughout regional Australia continues to increase. In response to this phenomenon and to the nature of the research into it, this study investigated the lived experiences of 12 female participants from a regional Australian area who had dropped out of sport during their adolescent years. More specifically the studies main research question was “What are the lived experiences of regional adolescent girls in relation to their participation in and dropout from sport?" The identified themes indicated that the dropout from sport by adolescent girls is individualised depending upon the individual girl concerned, and it is complex for girls more generally. It involves negative influence from peers, families, coaches, sporting clubs and the media, all of whom influence the girls’ decision to dropout from sport. The study demonstrates that the participants were required to make undue compromise and to deal with unwanted pressures via individual, community and situational means. Pressures from these were shown to often result in the adolescent girls premature dropout from sport. In order to address these concerns, the study recommends that a combination of institutional, educational and structural changes in sport, education and the media are required to deal with the phenomenon of adolescent girls’ dropout from sport.
- ‘Power regulation and physically active identities’: the experiences of rural and regional living adolescent girls, opens in a new tab, M. Case, A. Mooney, J. Smyth, et al., Gender and Education, Volume 28(1), pp.108-127, (2016). We explored the discourses and power relations operative between groups of girls that appeared to influence their participation in Physical Education (PE) and outside of school in sport and physical activity (PA) in rural and regional communities. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in eight secondary schools with female students from Year 9 (n = 22) and 10 (n = 116). Dominant gendered and performance discourses were active in shaping girls’ construction of what it means to be active or ‘sporty’, and these identity positions were normalised and valued. The perceived and real threat of their peer's gaze as a form of surveillance acted to further perpetuate the power of performance discourses; whereby girls measured and (self) regulated their participation. Community settings were normalised as being exclusively for skilled performers and girls self-regulated their non-participation according to judgements made about their own physical abilities. These findings raise questions about the ways in which power relations, as forged in broader sociocultural and institutional discourse–power relations, can infiltrate the level of the PE classroom to regulate and normalise practices in relation to their, and others, PA participation.
- Environmental barriers and enablers to physical activity participation among rural adults: a qualitative study, opens in a new tab. Cleland V, Clarissa Hughes B , Lukar Thornton, et al. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Volume 26(2), pp.99-104, (2015). This study explored the environmental factors that act as barriers or facilitators to physical activity participation among rural adults in three regions of rural Tasmania, Australia. It highlighted the importance of shared-use areas, particularly those that were family and dog-friendly. Participants had realistic expectations of what was feasible in rural settings.
- Sex-specific correlates of adult physical activity in an Australian rural community, opens in a new tab, Suzanne Carroll, Jim Dollman, Mark Daniel, Australian Journal of Rural Health, Volume 22(1), pp.15-22, (February 2014). Rural Australians have a higher likelihood of chronic disease and lower levels of physical activity than urban Australians. Little is known of the factors associated with physical activity among rural-dwelling Australians. This study sought to determine the correlates of physical activity among men and women of the South Australian Riverland region. In men, sufficient physical activity was associated with reporting perceived sufficient physical activity for health and having friends who encouraged physical activity. Men who reported insufficient time and getting enough physical activity at their job were less likely to be sufficiently active. In women, sufficient physical activity was associated with not being employed, higher self-efficacy, and having a regular physical activity routine. Older age, poorer self-rated health, and weekend sitting time were negatively associated with sufficient physical activity for women. Factors associated with physical activity in this rural adult population differed by sex. Strategies to enhance social connectedness among men and encourage physical activity outside of work can be warranted. Women can require programs to help them develop a regular physical activity routine and improve self-efficacy.
- Opportunities, Barriers, and Constraints To Physical Activity in Rural Queensland, Australia, opens in a new tab. Eley R, Bush R, Brown W, Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 11(1), pp.68-75, (2014). Research in six diverse rural Queensland shires found that half the respondents failed to meet Australian physical activity guidelines and 1 in 5 reported no activity. Some barriers to physical activity (i.e. family commitments) were similar to those from urban areas. Rural barriers included climate, culture of exercise, and community leadership. It was concluded that the promotion of healthy lifestyle in rural environments need to be tailored to the local community and not necessarily replicate urban programs.
- Location, location, location: women’s leisure in rural Australia, opens in a new tab. Campbell A, Leisure Studies, Volume 32(3), pp.249-263, (2013). This paper investigated the impact of geographical location in shaping the leisure activities of rural women living in the Yass Valley Region of NSW. Research found that the specific geographical location had a strong impact on the types of leisure activities available in which they were able to participate. It concluded the specific geographical location can facilitate or inhibit the degree of involvement in community leisure activities that engender social capital among older women living in these locations.
- ‘You're no-one if you're not a netball girl’: rural and regional adolescent girls’ negotiation of physically active identities., opens in a new tab Mooney A, Casey M, Smyth J, Annals of Leisure Research, Volume 15(1), pp.19-37, (2012). This paper reported data collected through interviews and focus group sessions with 138 females ranging from 14 to 16 years of age across six rural and regional communities in the state of Victoria. It examined the impact that dominant discourse-power relations operating in the context of rural and regional sport and physical education can have in the negotiation of physically active identities for adolescent girls.
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