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Sports-Based Health Interventions pp 29–52Cite as

How Can the Health System Benefit from Increasing Participation in Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity?

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Abstract

Whilst acknowledging that inactive communities which increase participation in sport, exercise and physical activity will benefit health fitness, with far-reaching implications for contemporary health systems, the authors warn against conflation of the terms ‘physical activity’, ‘exercise’ and ‘sport’, and assumption that the promotion of sport alone can deliver desired public health objectives. They argue that there is a need to recognise that adoption of active lifestyles by physically inactive individuals is not necessarily easy and that, in addition to the promotion of sport, there is a need for different programmes (featuring exercise and physical activity) which will attract inactive audiences.

The concept of ‘exercise as medicine’ is explored, looking at how health professionals have responded to accumulating evidence over the past half century that being unfit or physically inactive has major negative health consequences throughout the lifespan. It is suggested that practitioners have tended to recommend exercise ‘as medicine’ for inactive individuals already experiencing related health problems or displaying consequent health risks. The need to adopt a preventive, rather than purely reactive, approach is stressed.

The benefits and risks of promoting sport, exercise and physical activity are also considered, and, whilst it is concluded that evidence shows risks to be outweighed by benefits, the need to recognise and take action to minimise risks is emphasised.

Some examples of good practice (including mass participation events, such as Parkrun) are presented, and, finally, a particular evaluation framework for health promotion interventions (RE-AIM) is discussed. Lessons demonstrated by the use of RE-AIM are shown in the evaluation of the Premier League Health programme—an initiative by English professional football clubs to deliver a range of activities led by the clubs’ own Health Trainers and other staff, to increase activity levels among previously inactive male fans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Active Lifestyles, Leeds Beckett University, 102 Fairfax Hall, Headingley Campus, Leeds, LS6 3QS, UK

    Stephen Zwolinsky, Jim McKenna & Andy Pringle

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  1. Stephen Zwolinsky
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  2. Jim McKenna
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Correspondence to Stephen Zwolinsky .

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  1. Hertfordshire County Council , Hertford, United Kingdom

    David Conrad

  2. Institute for Health & Wellbeing, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Alan White

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Zwolinsky, S., McKenna, J., Pringle, A. (2016). How Can the Health System Benefit from Increasing Participation in Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity?. In: Conrad, D., White, A. (eds) Sports-Based Health Interventions. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5996-5_2

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