Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. There is evidence to show that human movement is essential for the health and maintenance of our bodies. Regular participation in moderate-intensity physical activity reduces the risk of disease. Medical research shows a strong link between regular physical activity and substantial health benefits, and researchers are now promoting this as a form of preventative medicine.
Government & Non Government Organisations
State and Federal Governments
Play a significant role in the promotion of physical activity. They provide funding to organisations such as VicHealth and the Heart Foundation, which in turn support governments in the promotion of physical activity at a state and national level. Non-Government Organisations
Play a critical role in promoting health at the federal, state and local levels. Some better-known examples of NGOs in the health promotion area are the Heart Foundation (Victoria), Diabetes Australia Victoria and the Cancer Council Victoria. |
Non-Government Organisations
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) is a statutory authority which fosters change in the social, cultural and physical environments that influence the health of all Victorians.
Essentially, VicHealth works to promote good health and to prevent ill-health. VicHealth provides support across a wide range of health areas, including physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, tobacco control, healthy eating and alcohol misuse |
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VicHealth:
- promotes physical activity by providing an array of information via print media (brochures, newsletters) and online networks
- encourages the development of healthy and welcoming environments in sporting clubs
- promotes strategies for increasing participation by funding sporting clubs so that they can buy equipment and train coaches and staff
- tackles inequalities in sport and active recreation by supporting community organisations that conduct programs for disadvantaged or at-risk youth and groups with limited access to physical activity and sporting opportunities
- supports participation in sport and active recreation by providing financial support to individuals and clubs (scholarships, come-and-try days)
- provides program and project grants to community sporting groups, clubs and organisations that provide active recreational opportunities
- promotes active and safe routes to school and supports projects that encourage children’s play and physical activity outside school hours
- promotes active commuting and systematic planning to encourage less dependence on car use
- connects organisations so that people within local communities have access to many physical activity and sporting opportunities
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Heart Foundation
Works to promote heart health and implement policies and programs that improve the cardiovascular health of Australians. The Heart Foundation’s mission is to reduce suffering and death from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease in Australia. The Heart Foundation has an enormous array of programs and resources to promote physical activity and the adherence to physical activity guidelines. Examples of Heart Foundation Initiatives
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Examples of the work the Heart Foundation does to promote physical activity include:
- promoting awareness of healthy lifestyles via mass-media campaigns
- forming partnerships with government departments to provide advice about physical activity research and the development of guidelines and policies
- building healthy communities by encouraging local government to build environments and infrastructure that encourage active lifestyles and healthy choices
- advocacy at all levels to put physical activity on the government agenda
- educating and informing people by publishing an enormous array of print and web-based information about the benefits of walking and other physical activity and the health benefits of being active
- publishing newsletters, brochures and reports (print and online) outlining the latest evidence from research about physical activity and cardiovascular heart and other health benefits
- promoting physical activity in schools via Heart Week and programs such as Jump Rope for Heart
- raising funds for heart health research
- funding millions of dollars in grants for physical activity intervention research and research examining the link between physical activity and various health outcomes
- coordinating the Health Information Service, which provides reliable heart-health information from qualified health professionals information over the phone, (including information about exercise and physical activity, such as joining a group from Heart Foundation Walking)
- distributing a vast array of heart-health resources for individuals and professionals
- developing guidelines to promote physical activity to assist health professionals, educators and policy-makers. For example, the guidelines for preventing cardiovascular events in people with CHD encourage making ‘progress over time’ towards the recommended goal of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, if not all days of the week; that is, 150 minutes per week. Patients are usually encouraged to engage in low-intensity physical activity and to avoid vigorous-intensity physical activity.
Government Organisations
Department for Health and Ageing
Is responsible for the monitoring and promotion of health behaviours, and this of course encompasses physical activity. The Australian Government commits millions of dollars to the establishment of a national monitoring, evaluation and research system and to the promotion of physical activity. The Department’s Healthy and Active Australia website presents a wide range of information and initiatives (relating to healthy eating, regular physical activity and weight management) to support all Australians to lead healthy and active lives. Current and previous initiatives and projects that have been commissioned by the Australian Government include:
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State governments also have important roles to play in the promotion of physical activity by funding research, mass-media campaigns and local initiatives within a range of settings.
Victorian Government departments (including the Department of Health, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development) in partnership with other organisations (such as Bicycle Victoria, VicHealth, Diabetes Australia, Cancer Council and universities) fund a broad range of health initiatives and educational programs designed to promote physical activity. |
Just a few examples of major initiatives supported by the State Government in Victoria are:
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