NASSS 2018 Conference - Vancouver

Sport-health ideologies advance sport participation as a great alternative to traditional exercise in enhancing social, emotional, mental and physical health and well-being. Mentions of sport, however, are largely missing in many countries’ public health agendas. Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move obesity initiative worked with many sport organizations to help kids learn sports and highlight sports’ role in improving health outcomes. Although the Let’s Move campaign is now defunct, conversations about the role of sport in promoting health should not diminish. This session keep the conversation moving by highlighting theoretical and empirical research that critically exams sport-health ideologies, the inclusiveness of sport in public health agendas, organizational or governmental sport-health promotion policies and programs, health and wellness outcomes of competitive and recreational athletes, ways in which sport influences public health perceptions, and research that explores the intersection of sport, music and health.