SDP and Health: Non-Communicable Diseases

There is now no doubt that we are currently facing a generational pandemic of inactivity and obesity. Much research has shown that this problem has not only contributed to engineer physical activity (PA) out of our lives but also created a new proliferation of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In particular, childhood NCDs indicate a worrying current trend which does not seem like being halted. The age of inactivity means that children and adults are ecologically engineered towards sedentary activities as a way to entertain themselves as opposed to physically active methods, which in turn leads to weight gain and illness. The discourse that permeates around sedentary society is one which has grown exponentially in recent times. More traditional sport development programmes utilising the ‘power’ of sport have seen some success in raising awareness of these diseases and their effects but the evidence for a significant difference in changing people’s behaviours and attitudes towards this area is less than convincing.