ABSTRACT
The focus on health enhancement is relatively new in western society. The biomedical model in health care, much like the behavioristic and Freudian schools in psychology, has traditionally been concerned only with treating what it classifies as deficiencies. The development of empowerment and self-responsibility in participants in the health promotion programme is, implicitly, one of the most basic precepts among some health professionals. Empowerment theory incorporates the observation that the ability to make wise choices and maintain them is partially dependent upon environmental conditions and perceived options. It is not the intent to discount the many, well-documented benefits of participation in regular aerobic exercise. However, if health professionals view exercise as a panacea, programme managers and staff will be blind to some of the problems that can develop in exercise programmes. Exercise components of health promotion programmes may suffer from various interrelated problems.
