Sport and socio-educational intervention: impact on well-being and social capital in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities

Abstract

Community development includes various areas of approach such as health, sports, among others, which seek to improve the living conditions of individuals or groups in a specific context. In this sense, some institutions generate interventions through strategies such as sports or nutritional care. In view of this, the objective of this research was to analyze the influence of interventions carried out by two non-governmental organizations on the psychological well-being and social capital of two populations living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in Colombia. The research was of a quantitative transversal explanatory type, carried out with 257 participants of the entities that implement social interventions. Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale and Cardozo and Cortés’ Social Capital Measurement Scale were applied. The results showed that communities perceive greater identification with food-based interventions; in contrast with those that base their actions on the implementation of long-term strategies based on sports. This raises the question of the effect of interventions that meet basic needs such as food, over other types of interventions that focus on community and personal strengthening.