Beverly Leipert -SRG 2009
Plunkett, R., Mair, H., Meagher-Stewart, D., Scruby, L., Wamsley, K.
Français
Curling is a significant activity in rural Canada for many women. The health of women in rural Canada is much compromised compared to the health of their urban counterparts. Yet little research has explored rural sporting activities as sites for health promotion. This national study explores the influence of curling on the health of 64 women and girls in rural Canada in the provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories. The purpose of the study is to explore the extent and nature of rural women’s involvement in curling, rural women’s perceptions of curling on their health, and how curling can be promoted and supported in rural communities. To date, data have been collected from Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, with data collection to proceed in the Northwest Territories in the winter of 2011-2012.
This poster presentation will present findings that have been analyzed to date from research with fifteen women and girls aged 12 to 72 from two rural communities in southwestern Ontario who took pictures, wrote in log books, and participated in group sessions to discuss the influence of curling on their health. Findings revealed that curling facilitates social connections, enhances physical and mental health, and provides a valued and visible way to support rural community life. The girls and women in the study also recommended ways to enhance curling participation and sustainability in rural communities. This presentation will address study findings to date and include selected participants’ photographs and quotes to illustrate the significance of the findings. Implications for the utility and enhancement of curling participation for health care practitioners such as nurses in rural settings will also be offered.
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