Insight into the unique benefits of sport participation above and beyond those associated with participation in other physical activities among adolescents is limited in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between wellbeing and organised sport participation among adolescents whilst accounting for demographic characteristics and other recreational physical activity. Demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation, (dis)ability status), organized sport, recreational physical activity, and wellbeing were assessed in cohorts of NZ adolescents (11–17 years) between 2017 and 2019. After adjusting for demographics, better wellbeing was associated with participation in any recreational physical activity (OR = 2.49, 95%CI = 1.97–3.13), meeting physical activity recommendations (OR = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.47–1.81), and each additional hour of recreational physical activity (OR = 1.03, 95%CI = 1.02–1.04). After adjusting for demographics and overall recreational physical activity participation, better wellbeing was also associated with participation in any organized sport (OR = 1.66, 95%CI = 1.49–1.86), and each additional hour of organized sport (OR = 1.09, 95%CI = 1.07–1.11). Although participation in recreational physical activity appears to be beneficial for wellbeing, organized sport appears to offer unique additional wellbeing benefits. Positive experiences of organized sport participation may offer additional wellbeing value above and beyond other recreational physical activity types in young people who are active.

The purpose of this study was to examine how wellbeing is associated with the setting in which sport participation takes place and the breadth of sport participation. Demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation, (dis)ability status), recreational physical activity, and wellbeing were assessed in cohorts of adolescents (11–17 years) between 2017 and 2019 in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Better wellbeing was associated with participation in any sport vs. none (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.30–1.90). Better wellbeing was also associated with participating in any coached sport training (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.33–1.66), competitive sport (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.18–1.49), social sport (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.18–1.49), and uncoached sport training (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.03–1.31) compared to non-participation in the given setting. Wellbeing was not associated with participation in physical education or solo sport. Participating in sport in three to five different settings (3 settings: OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.01–1.44; 4 settings: OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.09–1.62; 5 settings: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.07–1.75) or sports (3 sports: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04–1.51; 4 sports: OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.06–1.61; 5 sports: OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.05–1.69) was associated with better wellbeing compared to participation in a single setting or sport, respectively. A balanced approach to participating across a variety of sport settings and sports that are facilitated by quality coaches may offer the largest additional wellbeing value.

Concerns around concussion highlight the need for strategies to improve the implementation and translation of concussion guidelines in community sports. This study assessed players' utilisation and compliance with New Zealand Rugby's Concussion Management Pathway (CMP). This pragmatic, mixed methods study comprised of concussion injury surveillance and mapping of players' healthcare touchpoints through the CMP. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted to understand stakeholders' experiences. Over the season, 27 different healthcare pathways were identified with 28% of players progressing through all phases of the CMP (ideal pathway). Of the 206 suspected concussions reported over the season, 70% were logged in the CMP phone App, and 89% of these had an associated valid baseline concussion assessment. Prior to returning to contact training, 64% of players obtained a medical clearance. One theme, ‘belief in the value of pathway’ was identified as a facilitator across all CMP components. Themes such as ‘concussion knowledge and the nature of concussion’; ‘communication between stakeholders and sufficient information on the process’; and ‘strong relationships and clarity around responsibilities’ were identified as facilitators across several pathway components. Other facilitators included ‘ease and timing of general practitioner access’; ‘the phone App as facilitator to logging’; and ‘spotting for concussion as a team’. Additionally, the findings signify baseline testing as a potential pre‐cursor to overall CMP compliance. Strategies that support the facilitators identified in this study may further enhance compliance.

Background: Concussion‐related guidelines appear to be inconsistently implemented in secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. The purpose of this qualitative Participatory Action Research study was to describe key school stakeholders' perceptions of their current concussion management processes.Methods: Seventeen focus groups, two dyad, and nine individual interviews were conducted with stakeholders (n = 95) from six secondary schools and healthcare clinics, exploring their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to concussion management. We used thematic analysis to analyze data.Results: Our analysis identified five overarching and inter‐relating themes: Hit or miss, the need for a clear pathway; the school context; aligning attitudes and enacting values; concussion knowledge and education; and complexity of concussion. The effectiveness of concussion management in secondary school settings is shaped by the dynamic interaction of these five themes.Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: These findings highlight the need to develop a context‐sensitive framework that can assist schools with real‐world implementation of concussion management guidelines, for both sports and non‐sports related concussions.Conclusions: The intent to support students was evident among most stakeholders yet appeared to be limited by lack of structured processes to follow, resources, unfavorable attitudes towards concussion management, and lack of knowledge.

Models of health currently provide physical and biological understandings of how human beings behave in terms of, and succumb to, illness or disease. Well-documented Pacific health models have extended such definitions to include holistic considerations such as spirituality, culture and social wellbeing. Within health research, similar shifts have occurred that signal a move away from traditional approaches, e.g., positivist or interpretivist descriptive designs, to approaches that are centred in Pacific worldviews and paradigms. This paper presents the experiences and perspectives of Pacific researchers in the health sector and the impact of these experiences on the delivery of a Pacific health research and design course in a tertiary institution in Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper provides a Pacific-centred health research lens through the discussion of research practices and methods undertaken in health research and the challenges and opportunities for growth. The experiences also highlight opportunities for curriculum development within health faculties in tertiary institutions that move away from traditional Eurocentric models of health to Indigenous Pacific-centric paradigms. The paper provides insight into the challenging spaces that such a move entails and its impact on the delivery of health research education and posits the researcher’s positionality as the catalyst for a shift in approach. The paper focuses on the pedagogical approaches used by Pacific health lecturers and researchers within course development and delivery. These include Talanoa ‘Pacific oral communication’, veiwekani ‘relationship’ and faikava ‘kava circles’ cultural practices within the vā ‘learning space’.