{"id":82775,"date":"2022-05-29T18:00:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T22:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=82775"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:09","slug":"physical-activity-trauma-informed-approach","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/physical-activity-trauma-informed-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Levelling the playing field: How a trauma-informed approach can make physical activity more accessible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Levelling the playing field: How a trauma-informed approach can make physical activity more accessible\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

This article is republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in decreased levels of physical activity<\/a>, which has implications for physical and mental health. Physical activity can also be an important tool for recovery from the collective trauma experienced and exacerbated throughout the pandemic, especially for equity-seeking communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the pandemic, high levels of stress, isolation and inequity have had a disproportionate impact on women<\/a>, girls across the globe. Progress that had been made on gender equality and women’s rights has been reversed in areas such as employment and economic setbacks and expanding domestic roles. According to the United Nations, a “shadow pandemic” of violence against women<\/a> emerged during the pandemic that has disproportionately affected racialized women and girls<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been multiple calls<\/a> to address negative effects of the pandemic on physical and emotional well-being, including the impact of increased violence and poverty on sport participation and safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we move into spring and summer, and more people consider taking up physical activity outdoors, it is crucial to centre issues of equity, inclusion, safety and access. One such strategy is promoting trauma- and violence-informed physical activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In seeking gender responsive approaches to pandemic recovery, there is a need to improve access to physical activity by creating inclusive opportunities for equity-seeking populations. Our research has used trauma- and violence-informed physical activity as a tool to address inequity in physical activity<\/a>, and explored the potential for sport to help prevent gender-based violence as part of development interventions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trauma- and violence-informed physical activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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