Choose one of the following essay topics and write an essay referring to relevant research in the area (websites are not to be used for references – use journal articles and books if you can. I will accept minimal use of websites).
(e.g. Social impact of sport, Health, social integration, socialisation through sport, social inclusion, community re-generation, crime reduction, community development, socialisation, special populations).
It is generally accepted that physical activity confers benefits to psychosocial health, functional ability and general quality of life [1] and has been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease [2] and some cancers [3]. Here, physical activity refers to ‘any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure’ [4].
Conditions associated with physical inactivity include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, back pain, poor joint mobility and psychosocial problems [5–7]. Physical inactivity is a major public health challenge in the developed world and is recognized as a global epidemic [8]. Within the United States, the rate of childhood obesity is expected to reach 40% in the next two decades [9] and Type 2 diabetes is expected to affect 300 million people worldwide within the same time