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
3
Part I: Evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity on health and well-being
4
1. The impact of physical activity on health
4
2. Literature review of the evidence
5
i) Major chronic diseases
5
ii) Mental health
6
iii) Whole-life benefits of physical activity
7
iv) Recommended levels of physical activity
7
v) Socioeconomic disparities
9
Part II: Evidence supporting interventions to encourage physical activity
10
1. The scale of the problem
10
2. An active environment?
10
3. Behaviour change
11
4. Selected interventions
12
Part III: Case studies
15
1. Introduction
15
2. What makes for best practice?
15
3. Case studies
16
Appendix 1: Selected literature on the health benefits of physical activity
21
Appendix 2: Physical activity interventions
24
Appendix 3: Evidence for the benefits of specific activities
27
Endnotes
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...