Review
The benefits of physical activity for health and well-being
C3 Collaborating for Health* June 2011
Director: Christine Hancock First Floor, 28 Margaret Street, London W1W 8RZ, United Kingdom; Tel +44 (0) 20 7637 4330; Fax +44 (0) 20 7637 4336
C3 Collaborating for Health is a registered charity (no. 1135930) and a company limited by guarantee (no. 6941278), registered in England and Wales.
Contents
Overview Part I: Evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity on health and well-being 1. The impact of physical activity on health 2. Literature review of the evidence i) Major chronic diseases ii) Mental health iii) Whole-life benefits of physical activity iv) Recommended levels of physical activity v) Socioeconomic disparities Part II: Evidence supporting interventions to encourage physical activity 1. The scale of the problem 2. An active environment? 3. Behaviour change 4. Selected interventions Part III: Case studies 1. Introduction 2. What makes for best practice? 3. Case studies Appendix 1: Selected literature on the health benefits of physical activity Appendix 2: Physical activity interventions Appendix 3: Evidence for the benefits of specific activities Endnotes 3 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 9 10 10 10 11 12 15 15 15 16 21 24 27 28
2 Review: The benefits of physical activity on health and well-being
www.c3health.org
Overview
The purpose of this review is to provide a snapshot of the scientific evidence of the benefits of physical activity on health and well-being, focusing particularly on the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs – also often referred to as chronic diseases), and to present case studies of ‘what works’ in different settings and contexts. Part I provides the evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity on health and well-being and, together with detailed tables in Appendix 1, forms a literature review focusing on evidencebased studies that address the benefits of physical activity on reducing the...