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Physical education and health: considerations and issues.
The role of physical education in promoting health and producing a ‘healthy nation’ has been
increasingly recognised in recent years (Stratton, Fairclough and Ridgers, 2008; Cale and
Harris, 2005; Shephard and Trudeau, 2000). Indeed, physical education has been viewed as the
most suitable vehicle for the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles among young people
(Shephard and Trudeau; 2000) and contributing to public health via promoting healthenhancing
lifestyles and increasing physical activity has been seen to be one, if not the most
important, objectives of the subject (e.g. Fairclough and Stratton, 2005; Fox, Cooper and
McKenna, 2004; Cardon and Bourdeaudhuij, 2002; Green, 2002; Shephard and Trudeau 2000).
Furthermore, a number of Government policies and initiatives in England over the past decade
have identified physical education to be instrumental in providing opportunities for young
people to improve their health. A few notable examples include ‘Game Plan’ (Department for
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS, 2002), ‘Every Child Matters’ (Department for Education
and Skills (DfES, 2004), ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’ (Department of Health and
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DoH/DCSF, 2008), and ‘Healthy Lives,
Healthy People’ (DoH, 2010).
This chapter focuses on physical education and health and highlights some of the key
considerations and commonly debated issues associated with the area of health within the
physical education curriculum. Firstly, physical education’s contribution to health and
addressing obesity are considered and then issues including the place, expression, organisation,
content and delivery of health within the curriculum are explored.
History
School
- Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Citation
HARRIS, J. and CALE, L., 2012. Physical education and health: considerations and issues. IN: Capel S. and Whitehead, M. (eds). Debates in Physical Education. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 74 - 88.Publisher
RoutledgeVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publication date
2012Notes
This book chapter is closed access.ISBN
9780415676250Language
- en