Playing their part: the role of physical activity and sport in sustaining the health and well being of small rural communities
Townsend, Mardie, Moore, Jan and Mahoney, Mary 2002, Playing their part: the role of physical activity and sport in sustaining the health and well being of small rural communities, International electronic journal of rural and remote health research, education, practice and policy, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-6.
International electronic journal of rural and remote health research, education, practice and policy
Volume number
2
Issue number
1
Start page
1
End page
6
Publisher
Australia Rural Health Education Network
Place of publication
Deakin, A.C.T.
Publication date
2002-08-12
ISSN
1445-6354
Summary
It is widely recognised that the health of rural Australians is poor in comparison with their urban counterparts. Similarly, the role played by physical activity in maintaining health has been well researched and is well documented. However, little appears to have been published in recent years about the links between physical activity and health in rural communities. The objective of this article was to begin to address that gap. To achieve this, the article drew on research conducted in two small rural communities in Victoria Australia, and highlighted the role that physical activity and sport played in sustaining the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in rural areas. Taking the World Health Organisation's definition of health (a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease) as its measure, the paper highlighted the many ways in which physical activity and sport in rural communities contribute to physical health, mental wellbeing and social cohesiveness. Based this finding, the authors suggest that physical activity and sport make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities and suggest that further research is necessary to better define this apparent contribution.
Language
eng
Field of Research
111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified