Sport as a Public Health Issue

Public health is concerned with public safety and its aim is to protect the health of the population. “Promoting healthy lifestyle, researching disease and injury prevention” is public health’ responsibility. Department of public health recommends elimination of any negative influences that may have harmful consequences. The medical profession is characterised by four moral principles, to deliver a good service for their clients. These are: do no harm, do good, autonomy and justice. The equal distribution of these values is still questionable. However, it is not possible to provide full health care for everyone. This essay will try to provide sufficient information to prove to what extent is sport a public health issue. The first part of this essay presents positive aspects of sport that contribute to physically and mentally heathier population. It will shed some light on diseases and how to prevent them. The second section refers to an unhealthy environment that takes place in sport. It will outline destructive tendencies of harmful behaviour of its participants. Third part focuses on the value of research and the important position of the Public Health sectors to skilfully raise awareness in environments in which men, women and children have predispositions to be physically active.

Regular physical activity plays an important role in eliminating and controlling diseases. Sport-participation presents many positive outcomes, for instance intense physical engagement and cardiorespiratory fitness offer positive effects on health of adolescence. It prevents chronic diseases, reduces a risk of premature death. Leisure time physical activity, aerobic exercise contributes to well-being within a various age-groups and gender. It also improves the quality of life and it prevents stress and depression. “Being active in sport may be perceived as a form of physical and mental training that stimulates a healthy body and mind. ”

Aerobic exercise reduces heart disease and stroke, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It also improves bone density, pulmonary function, body image and self-esteem. Regular physical activity possibly reduces risk of cancer (breast and colon), osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome. It significantly leads to a better perception of the subjective health image. Even to walk briskly for a few hours per week reduces nonfatal or fatal myocardial infarction. According to Berg, sport-participants value more hedonic rewards and the opportunity to interact with others, than athletic body images. Personal satisfaction and increase of energy give satisfactory results and are more appreciated among participants. Sport engages social interaction and a feeling of belonging. It reduces alienation among children and adults. Sport and physical activity programmes provide many opportunities; thus, it creates a wider cycle of more mentally, physically healthy nation. It motivates self-development through physical and mental stimulation while enquiring new skills, reducing obesity and other diseases. According to Public Health Wales, through active and regular participation in sport, children, who experienced traumas, are able to develop resilience and show no signs of mental illness in adulthood. Managers and mentors tend to abuse their power and create an unhealthy environment for their peers. Corruption (scandal in FIFA ), performance-enhancing substances (among athletes ), alcohol (alcohol sponsorship in sport increases alcohol consumption ), cheating (for instance in swimming ), violence (in team contact sports like hockey, football, rugby), child abuse (includes bullying, physical, sexual and emotional mistreatment, poor practice and neglect), mirror the image of our society. Such incidents are products of our culture. Here, it is even more important to stress how valuable is sport for abused or neglected children. The environment needs to be adequate to the child physical and psychological needs.

Another concern refers to “the alarming frequency of mild concussion” and its consequences. The importance of the brain cannot be stressed enough by psychologist. Moser states, that concussion affects not only physical health, but also intellectual and neuropsychological. Satisfactory time recovery is recommended when symptoms like irritability, depression, moodiness, lack of concentration, headache, and fatigue occur. However, young athletes tend be accused of laziness or procrastination, because the awareness about the subject is not sufficient enough and the help provided is not proportional to the damage. The major role of Public Health is to set prevention programmes to avoid any injuries and diseases. Therefore, it shall also include research and data collection regarding injuries in athlete and other participants in sport. To provide valuable information to coaches, trainers, communities, is to offer necessary steps to reduce the occurrence of injuries.

Such data would not only enable safer environment for athletic performance at the highest level with minimal risk, but also spread the awareness among ordinary people and improve their lives. It will enable to reach certain groups and provide encouragement they need. According to Pharr, there is a distinction between motivation factors. People intrinsically motivated tend to participate in sport activities, whereas extrincally motivated participants tend to be more exercise oriented. The first is more associated with health, challenge and competence, whereas the latter is oriented to physical appearance, weight loss. Regular physical activity among women who participated in household tasks or in recreation tend to spend more time in sport activities. It is vital to highlight the fact that ultra-marathon runners “had a low prevalence of cancer, coronary artery disease, seizure disorders, diabetes and human immunodeficiency virus infection”. Participants who train at a higher intensity tend to have “the lowest rates of disease”. Economic deprivation and lower education have a negative impact on subjective health. Managers and policy makers should enquire a more scholastic approach and promote sport as a culture norm. Department of Public Health needs to equip communities with information, to significantly expand the knowledge and so, participation in physical activities.

Sport contributes to positive personal/social development and peace. According to research provided by Banda, “the ways in which sport is implemented” are of significant value. It is essential to recognize environmental, cultural, ethnical, economic conditions and to apply adequate procedures and methods in order to achieve desirable results and changes. Therefore, to introduce sport as an inseparable part, is to eliminate serious health issues and it should be an elementary policy of public health. Physical recreation and regular physical activity enhance skill development, personal competence, brings joy and encourages active lifestyle. But sport is much more than what we see on the screen or in the gym. And sport is not about power but a spiritual exercise, where certain rules needs to be applied. Selflessness and oneness are its essence. It enhances individual performance and collective consciousness of the whole group and thus population.