Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity and Health

This handbook is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in how physical activity can contribute to solving many challenges of the 21st century. It provides fundamental background information on the history, biological mechanisms and epidemiological evidence linking physical activity with physical and mental health. Physical activity and health is a wide-reaching field that is relevant to exercise and sport science, public health, urban and transport planning, occupational health, and clinical medicine. Accordingly, The Routledge Handbook on Physical Activity and Health is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in how physical activity can contribute to solving many health challenges of the 21st century. Across 50 chapters, the Handbook provides fundamental background information on the history, biological mechanisms, and epidemiological evidence linking physical activity with physical and mental health. It also explores the ways to measure physical activity and key determinants of the behaviour across different socio-ecological levels of influence. It presents the latest evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving physical activity in specific populations and contexts, and proposes how public health policies for physical activity can be developed, implemented, and evaluated. The Routledge Handbook on Physical Activity and Health is an essential resource for researchers, students, policymakers, and other professionals in many disciplines, including sport, exercise and health, public health, environment, and planning.