WHO/Europe launches new guide to empower coaches for better health

WHO/Europe has released a new publication aimed at empowering sports coaches to play a meaningful role in sport and community health. The “Health promoting sports coach implementation guide: be an empowering and supporting coach” equips coaches with the tools and knowledge to support the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

Coaches play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of millions of young people and adults across the WHO European Region. While sports participation offers numerous benefits for physical and mental health, it can also pose risks such as injuries, burnout, and exposure to promotion and marketing from health-harming industries such as tobacco, alcohol and fast-food.

The new guide addresses these challenges by providing examples of best practices and practical strategies for coaches to create a positive and supportive sporting environment.

A holistic approach

By increasing physical activity levels and promoting healthier choices, countries of the European Region can save 10 000 lives every year, protecting people from noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

“Coaches can not only support sports participants engagement in sport and performance, but can have an important role to play in promoting the health and well-being of sport participants, their sports club, as well as the local community”, said Aurelie Van Hoye, lead author of the publication from the Université de Lorraine.

“By empowering coaches with the right knowledge and skills, we can create a network of health promoting experts in communities, with wide reach across the WHO European Region, who can promote physical activity, mental health and social interaction,” added Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Regional Advisor on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at WHO/Europe.

The guide emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to coaching, focusing not only on performance but also on the overall health and well-being of athletes. It covers a range of topics, including mental health, injury prevention, nutrition, substance abuse and creating a supportive club environment.

Health is the core priority

The publication outlines three key principles for a health promoting sports coach:

• Connect with the broader sports community: work closely with club management, staff, participants and their families and friends to create a supportive environment.
• Prioritize health: view health as essential to participants’ development and performance, and make it a core value in coaching.
• Focus on the participant: put participants at the centre of coaching, respecting their individual needs and goals.

In addition, the guidance has several checklists that provide low-effort, quick-win ideas for coaches – offering practical, easily implementable steps to integrate health promotion into daily coaching routines.

By implementing the recommendations in the guide, coaches can contribute to a healthier and more enjoyable sports experience for all participants.

WHO/Europe encourages national sports federations, sports clubs and coach education programmes to adopt the guide and support coaches in their efforts to promote health and well-being.

The new guide was launched during 15th conference of the European network for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA Europe) in Dublin, Ireland. The publication builds on the impact of the “Health promoting sports federation implementation guidance” that was launched at the 2023 HEPA Europe conference, and the “Health-promoting sports clubs national audit tool” introduced in 2022.

The “Health promoting sports coach implementation guide” was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.