Physical education for better public health

A senior University of Queensland researcher believes that school physical education could make a more significant contribution to public health.

Professor Richard Tinning is an expert in physical education in the University's School of Human Movement Studies.

"School physical education has undergone significant changes over the past 20 years," he said.

"Physical education is now part of the Health & Physical Education Key Learning Area that is compulsory for all students in years P-10. Through this curriculum physical education is now better placed to play an important part in the education of young people for future healthy lifestyles which include physical activity.

"However, our research shows that physical education continues to make friends of some kids and enemies of others. Why some kids become turned off physical activity through their physical education experiences is a serious question."

Studies Professor Tinning conducted in Victoria indicated that physical education has the potential to make both positive and negative contributions to body image and attitude towards physical activity in young people.

"Physical education teachers are a relatively homogeneous group of intelligent, physically able individuals with the slim and firm body types generally valorised in the media," he said. "Some of these teachers relate better to those kids who are physically able and keen to participate. The flip side is that often, unintentionally, some kids with certain body types or attitudes to physical activity might feel somewhat marginalised."

Professor Tinning with colleagues at Deakin University conducted an Australian Research Council-funded study on media and physical education, exploring the role of media images as powerful tools in shaping teenagers' attitudes to physical education and perceptions of their bodies.

The study examined how physical education sometimes implicitly reinforces media-ideal body images which are largely unattainable for most people. Comparisons with such images are often the source of an obsession with dieting or excessive exercising among some teenagers. On the other hand, an increasing number of physical education teachers are using the new curriculum developments to provide teenagers with a critique of media images in the hope that they will learn to become critical consumers of "physical culture".

Professor Tinning is currently developing a proposal to examine the contribution that physical education could make to back health. "Physical education once paid particular attention to exercises and activities designed to improve back strength, mobility and posture. Today that curriculum focus is almost entirely absent yet the prevalence of back pain in the community has reached alarming levels. Physical education in schools should make a contribution to education for care and maintenance of the back," he said.

Professor Tinning joined UQ this year after a 20-year career at Deakin University. A Fellow of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, he is a prolific author with almost 200 academics papers, book chapters, books and monographs, keynote addresses and conference papers to his credit.

Media: Further information, Professor Richard Tinning, telephone 07 3365 6116 or Jan King at UQ Communications telephone 0413 601 248.

Enquiries can also be directed to communications@mailbox.uq.edu.au