ABSTRACT
The challenge to secure sustainable sport for health interventions in different parts of the world is recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO). The momentum to reduce inactivity levels is not simply an economic or political challenge, but a social challenge. Under the mandate of the UN Declaration on non-communicable diseases (NCD) Prevention, countries are working towards achieving a reduction in preventable deaths due to NCDs by 2025, and one of nine global targets is to reduce physical inactivity by 10 per cent by 2025. Physical activity activists tell us that this goal is unlikely to be achieved by any country, if present levels of effort continue. Worse, many countries could go backwards, with levels of sitting and inactivity increasing as the drivers of these behaviours continue to negatively impact on daily lives. Finally, there is a social gradient in health that runs from top to bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum.
