A preliminary study of a professional sport organization’s family-centered health promotion initiative

Building on the framework of the Social Ecological Model (Stokols 1996 ), this study explored corporate social marketing in professional sport by evaluating a 12-week family-centered health promotion initiative delivered by a U.S. professional sport organization. Three families ( n = 10) participated in post-intervention focus groups to discuss their experiences with the initiative. The participants reported that this initiative produced an improvement in their health both individually and for the family. The findings further demonstrated two specific mechanisms by which the involvement of the professional sport organization and its players contributed to the health effect of the initiative: (a) serving as role models for child participants and (b) bringing personal accountability to program participation. The results of this preliminary study suggest that professional sport organizations can contribute to health promotion through a family-centered initiative.