Exploring the Efficacy of the Community Organization Health Model as a Tool for Evaluating Sport-for-Development Programs: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Three Model Programs

Author

Lauren Faye Denman, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoFollow

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2013.4
Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/981

Date of Award

2-2013

Degree Name

MS in Kinesiology

Department/Program

Kinesiology

Advisor

David Hey

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is currently one of the most pressing world-wide concerns regarding the health and well-being of our global population. Due to the lack of a cure, recent efforts have focused on prevention measures for the disease. HIV prevention, particularly with the youth population, has spawned creative programs, such as the use of sport as an educational tool to equip youth with the skills to avoid contracting HIV. Due to the potent effect sport-for-development efforts exhibit on both individual and cultural level change, it can be assumed that HIV prevention sport-for-development programs are worth maintaining. Within the use of sport-for-development programs comes the problem under investigation: the need to establish a uniform method from which to evaluate HIV sport-for-development program effectiveness- specifically in regards to cultural relevance, level of community ownership, and sustainability through partnership resources. In order to address this problem, this analysis used qualitative content analysis to examine the promotional documents of three best practice football-for-development organizations- Grassroot Soccer, Mathare Youth Sports Association, and WhizzKids United. The purpose was to determine whether the Community Organization Health Model (COHM) was reflected in the values promoted through each organization’s electronic promotional material. The content analysis showed a strong qualitative presence of all six of the COHM tenets in the promotional documents, as well as a meaningful theme of expanding partnerships to enhance sustainability. These findings indicate that the tenets of the COHM are valued by best practice football-for-development organizations, which presents the opportunity for this model to be used in creating an evaluation procedure able to bridge cultural differences in programs.

Keywords: HIV prevention, football, sport-for-development, evaluation