Paper Title
Perceived Factors Influencing Participation in Work Place Sports and Recreation Among Non-Medical Staff Members at a Selected Hospital, Vhembe District, South Africa

Abstract
Background: Work places are important settings for health promotion and disease prevention. Despite the approval of the workplace sports and recreation policy and the dedication of Wednesday afternoons for sports and recreation as a way of promoting healthy lifestyles among employees in the Limpopo Department of Health, majority of employees still do not participate even when challenged or invited by other institutions for games. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the perceived factors influencing participation of non-medical staff members in workplace sports and recreation at a selected hospital using the constructs of the Health Belief Model. Methodology: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The population were all non-medical staff. Total sample of 289 non- medical staff members of the hospital were used for the study. Participants were divided into three categories depending on the type of their work. A self-administered questionnaire based on the construct of the Health Belief Model comprising of both open and closed ended questions were used to collect data. Statistical software SPSS version 23 was used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that majority (70.3%) of staff members do not partake in sports and recreation activities and almost 50% did not perceive themselves as being susceptible to non-communicable diseases, but strongly agreed that physical inactivity could lead to development of non -communicable disease and death. Conclusion: Employees should be encouraged to be involved in sports and recreation activities and wellness policies should be made accessible, and management should design such programmes throughout the year for employees to regard it as meaningful and fulfilling. Keywords: workplace, sports, participation, perception, recreation, non-medical staff