ABSTRACT
The role of physical education in promoting health and producing a ‘healthy nation’ has been increasingly recognised in recent years (Shephard and Trudeau, 2000; Cale and Harris, 2005; Stratton et al., 2008). 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 health-enhancing lifestyles. Increasing physical activity has been seen to be one of, if not the, most important objectives of the subject (e.g. Shephard and Trudeau, 2000; Cardon and de Bourdeaudhuij, 2002; Green, 2002; Fox et al., 2004; Fairclough and Stratton, 2005). 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), 2003a), 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.
