For health and well being

Contribution:

Sport: A driver for mental and physical well-being achievement

• Improves physical function and cognition Individual diseases or disorders that impair cognitive function – (e.g., individuals with Parkinson’s).
• Promotes healthy lifestyle choices to combat inactivity.
• Promotes self-esteem and contributes to healthy lifestyle behaviours.
• Improves physical function (in adults with intellectual disability), and improves the quality of life (in adults with major clinical depression).
•  Contributes to controlling weight, building lean muscles and reducing fat.
• Discourage the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
• Enhance functional capacity, improve motor skills and cognitive functions.
• Promote social interaction and integration.
• Reduce the risk of dying prematurely from non-communicable such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes to stress, obesity, anxiety and depression.
• Reduces hypertension and controls degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis.
• Provide an efficient heart and lung function and healthy bones, muscles and joints.
• Older people help maintain quality of life and independence.

Sport: An advocacy tool

• Can be a tool to raise awareness of communicable diseases in developing countries, e.g., national health campaign supported by athletes and Sport competitions.
• Didactical tool to communicate vital health-related information to ‘at risk’ groups.
• Can mobilise hard-to-reach groups as part of large-scale health campaigns, including communities with low population density.

Benefits of doing Sport/physical activity

• 20%–35%: Risk Reduction of cardiovascular disease. (69)
• Getting people active could save the global economy nearly $68 billion annually in medical costs and productivity. (70)
• Physical active communities had decreased unemployment rates. (70)
• 30–60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, 3–5 times a week, benefits blood pressure and prevents hypertension, blood coagulation, cancer, depression, anxiety among others.

International endorsement:

Who global action plan

Its target is to reach a 15% relative reduction in the global prevalence of physical inactivity in adults and in adolescents by 2030.

Council of Europe:

European Sport charter (2001)
Whether it be for leisure and recreation, for health promotion, or of improving performance, it shall be promoted for all parts of the population

• Low awareness of associated benefits of physical activity and Sport.
• Pandemic has raised the fear of using public spaces or facilities that can host large groups.
• Lack of time in case of adults and young adults.
• Costs of memberships clubs’ fees.
• Resistance of traditional medicine to prescribe physical activity.

Prescribing physical activity

• Understand the disease (mental or physical) given each age and provide adapted activities and special needs. Do not Introduce physical activity in risk groups without the supervision of experts.
• Prescribe types and adequate doses of physical activity according to the disease. For instance, physical activity of moderate intensity (e.g., brisk walking) will produce many health benefits.

Sport alone cannot prevent or treat disease.

• Only when applied in a holistic and integrated manner, can Sport achieve development results.
• Other key factors are: Adequate nutrition, sleep and resting and Family support.
• Following clinical treatments is also determinant.

HIV/Aids involvement and prevention

• The effects of the intensity of physical activity in a diminished immunological system should be foreseen as well as the protocols to attend to an injury or accident to prevent a possible infection in other people.
•  “Fears and prejudices” and other reactions of participants should be appropriately managed.
• Sport events can be a platform to sensitize people to health education related to topics such as HIV/AIDS, communicable and non-communicable diseases. (72)

Enhance provision of, and opportunities for, more physical activity programmes

• Take advantage of all alternative spaces such as beaches, rivers and foreshores) as well as in private and public workplaces, community centres, recreation and Sport facilities.
• Partner with ministries of Sport, subnational and local governments and the Sport community to strengthen the provision of universally accessible active recreation and Sport programmes.
• Involve families, parents and caregivers in driving youths towards active lifestyles.

Other Tips

• Spread the different effects of Sport and physical activity, commencing with the consequences of physical inactivity exercise and the benefits in mental, physical and even economic spheres.
• Programmes should be fun and fit in their timetable of daily life.
• A group motivation (work, friends, family, etc.) is much better than an individual one.

• Exercise quantity and intensity curve Click Here 
• Benefits of physical activity  Click Here
• Germany physical activity factsheet Click Here
•  Aerobic dance programme, an opportunity to win in self-image22
• S4D Training Session SDG 3 “HIV Transmission, Prevention”  Click Here
•  Professional Competences of S4D Coaches in Sport for Health Programmes Click Here
• Basketball for live handbook  Click Here
• Guidebook for active and healthy communities Click Here
• Sanitation and hygiene Click Here
• Additional applications of Sport in the consecution of Sport are presented Click Here
• Hearth to Heart initiative: Football supports people with health problems
• Benoît Costil  Click Here
• Lionel and N’Golo Kanté

UCI Cycling for All Side Events Toolkit
(Union Cycliste Internationale – UCI)

• Cycling races contribute to public health.
• Provide an ideal arena for the hosting of side events that encourage more cycling in all forms.
• This toolkit provides advice and recommendations for event organisers interested in developing such side events.

More information:
Toolkit. Click Here