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Health Benefits of Sport

It offers advice on how to set up similar projects in your country by engaging the government and other partners to establish coherent and sustainable schemes that can build communities and change people’s lives.

There is substantial evidence to show that the regular practice of sport and physical activity provides men and women of all ages with a wide range of physical, social and mental health benefits. It can contribute to strategies to improve diet, discourage the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs; help reduce violence, enhance functional capacity and promote social interaction and integration. Sport is such a popular activity for young people and can therefore also be used as a catalyst for change and education in health initiatives, HIV/AIDS awareness and drug abuse programmes. It can therefore have significant economic benefits especially in terms of reduced health care costs, increased productivity, and healthier physical and social lifestyles and environments. The following recommendations stem from the case studies illustrating how sport can be used for health benefits:

Benefits:

  • Better health (through supportive environment, improved diet and nutrition and increased physical activity)for individuals and the community as a whole.
  • Reduction in spend on health care
  • Provides a positive input in the lives of those already infected and affected by HIV/AIDS
  • Offers life skills that can prevent diseases such as HIV/AIDS
  • Sport is an effective medium and outreach tool for communication and peer education on taboo subjects such as HIV/AIDS
  • Sport is also an effective breakdown of stigma attached to diseases such HIV/AIDS focusing on prevention for youth and a change in behavioural attitudes.

Policy recommendations:

  • Communicate across Government: ensure that all relevant Government departments, in particular those covering health and education, understand the impact sport can have and the need to reflect it in future policy planning and budgets
  • Target the Young: deliver programmes that attract young people in particular, to ensure their own participation and that of future generations
  • Make it part of school life: build sport and physical activity into the curriculum and make it part of everyday life in schools
  • Make it sustainable: think national but act local in delivery; community projects will ensure more ownership and buy in from everyone involved.