5) The Purpose & Role of Physical Education

Physical Education is a systematic introduction to, and progression through, the skills and understandings required for life-long involvement in Physical Activity and Sport, and for effective participation in 21st Century work, family life and leisure

Physical Education is concerned with promoting learning through the physical, mental, emotional, social and moral dimensions of human movement. In Irish schools it emphasises the contribution of Physical Activity to the promotion of individual and group well-being. In preparing the student for life Quality Physical Education is the ONLY educational experience where the focus is on body, Physical Activity and physical development.

Quality Physical Education can achieve the following outcomes:

• Helps children to develop respect for the body - their own and others';
• Contributes to integrated development of mind and body;
• Develops an understanding of the role of Physical Activity in promoting health;
• Helps children to develop the patterns of and interest in Physical Activity, which are essential for healthy development
  and which lay the foundations for adult healthy lifestyles;
• Positively enhances self confidence, self esteem and reduces tendency to risk behaviours;
• Enhances social and cognitive development and academic achievement;
• Prepares children to cope with cooperation, competition, winning and losing;
• Makes distinctive contributions to developing social skills, moral and aesthetic development;
• Provides skills and knowledge for future life working in Sport, Physical Activity, and leisure;
• Spectating in an informed way by being aware of the principles, skills and appropriate attitudes
• Is inclusive regardless of ability, gender or culture;
• Reduces negative attitudes to school and dropout;
• Is the ONLY comprehensive way of providing ALL children and young people with skills & knowledge for life-long participation in Physical Activity & Sport.

To achieve these outcomes Physical Education uses a variety of physical activities and Sports as the medium for learning. The focus is very much on the child and on the development of her/his physical competence, rather than on the activity.

The impact on the health costs of placing Physical Education firmly on the National Development Plan has been succinctly stated by Professor Phil Jakeman (University of Limerick) in the following paragraphs.

The cost of maintaining the Nation's Health is accelerating (Irish Times, May 24th). However, if one accepts the argument that a person's lifelong health is largely within his/her personal domain, we can be encouraged by recent scientific and medical evidence that a physically active person profits from a wide array of physical and mental health benefits. The government too could profit from the promotion of a more physically active Nation. In America, the National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDC) recently quantified the cost benefit associated with Physical Activity. For persons aged 15 and older the average annual direct medical cost was 30% lower for those who were regularly physically active. Should inactive American adults become physically active the potential saving in the annual national medical costs for a nation of 88m adults was projected to be $76.6 billion for the year 2000. Given a similar projection for Ireland the potential savings must be close to £1billion.

A logical argument, but how may this be achieved? The government has made some progress in the promotion of Physical Activity as part of an overall health promotion strategy. This should be continued and extended. However, if we, as individuals, are to accept a greater responsibility for the maintenance of our health through Physical Activity then the behaviours that define our desire and ability to participate must be engrained from an early age, i.e. we need to be better educated. In Ireland, Physical Education is accepted as an important part of our overall education but the time and resource afforded to it within the curriculum is amongst the lowest, if not the lowest, in relation to other European Countries. Given the ever increasing and burgeoning medical costs of this Nation's current state of ill-health the wise should look to profit from a substantial investment in Physical Education. The benefit of such a strategy to a person's quality of life would be reward in itself but the potential saving to this Nation's health costs could be huge. The following early18th century maxim is surely worthy of early 21st century consideration.

'If some of the benefits accruing from regular exercise could be procured by any one Medicine, then nothing in the world would be held in more esteem than Medicine'.    Francis Fuller (1705)

5.1 Research Findings to Support the Potential Outcomes of Quality Physical Education Provision

At the World Summit on Physical Education, 1999, international delegates presented research evidence from around the globe on benefits of Physical Education and its important role in developing healthy, active children. Strong evidence exists to support the claim that quality Physical Education can meet a broad range of needs for all people. It is not possible within this submission to deal with this evidence in detail.

Positive Health Evidence

An active lifestyle during childhood is a direct benefit to health in later years (ICSSPE, 2001).

New scientific studies indicate that Physical Activity may contribute more to a long healthy life than any other factor, including smoking. Moderate regular activity reduces the likelihood of high blood pressure, heart disease, colon cancer and depression (ICSSPE, 2001).

Besides the role of Physical Activity in disease prevention, both physical (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colon cancer, obesity, and osteoporosis) and mental (depression and stress), Physical Activity, games and Sports, can play a significant role in the enrichment of social life and the development of one's social interaction skills (World Forum on Physical Activity and Sport, Québec, 1995). Activity has been shown to have favourable effects on anxiety, depression, self-esteem and some measures of cognition (Biddle, 1995).

Evidence for Cognitive Development and Academic Achievement

Numerous studies have shown that by adding activity to the children's curriculum, thereby reducing time in academic subjects no reduction on grades and standardised tests were found and many children were found to improve their grades and academic learning (Shephard, 1997).

Comparing 6-12 year old children who receive 5 hours per week to 40 minutes per week of Physical Activity, those with more activity showed significantly higher levels of academic performance (Shephard & Lavelle, 1994)

Economic Evidence

Sport and leisure account for 1.5% of Gross National Product (GNP) in the European Union (European Union, 1998). In the United Kingdom there are more jobs in Sport and leisure than in the car industry and agriculture, fisheries and food put together (Sports Council, London 1997).

The regular practice of appropriate Physical Activity in communities can bring economic benefits in terms of reduced health care costs, increased productivity, healthier physical and social environments, better performing schools and work sites, stronger participation in Sports and recreations and greater Sports achievements. Current evidence indicates that there is a growing cost of medical care due to physical inactivity, which can range from 2.4% (Netherlands), 6% (Canada) and 9.4% (USA) of total health sector cost. One can conclude from these finding that the Irish Government could reduce total health care costs by up to 9% by placing Physical Education and activity promotion centrally on the National Development Plan. The reduction in health care costs would be greater when the direct and indirect effects of Physical Activity are taken into account. An example of the economic benefits of increasing levels of Physical Activity in Canada is presented below:

Canada

The 16% increase gained between 1981 and 1995 (from 21% to 37%) in the number of persons active enough to reduce the population risk of heart disease led to savings in health care cost of $190 million in 1995.

The expected savings from achieving the 2003 target of increasing the physically active population by 10% is $5 billion in cost for medical care, sick leave and lost revenues from taxes due to premature mortality.

A 1% increase in the number of active Canadians may reduce the annual health care costs by $10.2 million for heart disease alone.

The overall saving in the health care system is estimated at $364 per individual becoming active.

A 25% increase in the proportion of the population who is physically active (to a total of about 50%) would stimulate productivity gains from $2 to $5 for every dollar invested.

Companies with employee active living initiatives could benefit by $513 per worker per year (from changes in productivity, absenteeism, turnover and injury).

Evidence for Inclusion

For the following groups especially girls and women, people with disabilities, immigrants and people from ethnic minorities; the poor, especially from inner cities and single parent families, Physical Education teachers (especially women) can be powerful role models and PE can lead to adult jobs. The loss of school Physical Education has the greatest effect on these groups (Talbot, World Summit on Physical Education, 1999).

The above point needs to be emphasised in the context that community Sports or school Sports policies cannot substitute or compensate for lack of school Physical Education. Research evidence on a sample (n = 544) of Limerick adolescents indicated that 46% of the population were not behaviourally disposed to participating in Physical Activity and may only do so through the process of Physical Education. If all children are to experience the benefits of participation in Physical Activity they must become involved in an educational process, which commences at a very young age and continues through Primary and post-Primary education and then throughout life. Quality Physical Education is a life long process and should not be confined to the school curriculum.

Regardless of the level of community/school Sports provision the issues of behavioural disposition and inclusion are key to increasing participation rates in Physical Activity. Those groups who are at risk of exclusion will be less able to reap the benefits from Sports provision outside school. Again, I will re-emphasise the point that Physical Education is the only comprehensive way of providing ALL children with skills and knowledge for life-long participation in Physical Activity and Sport. Community/school Sports are excellent initiatives and should be highly commended and supported, however, there beneficial effect will only be maximised when they reside within a physically educated nation.