Health Challenges: Physical Inactivity - OLET1514

This unit of study has been developed by academics in the University's Charles Perkins Centre, an interdisciplinary education and research hub where researchers produce novel solutions to chronic disease. Physical activity is an inseparable part of human biology and evolution. Lack of it causes chronic disease. Sadly we are still a population that doesn't embrace physical activity and its potential to have a transformative impact on chronic disease prevention and improve the quality of life into old age. This unit of study will provide students with an opportunity to develop an up-to-date understanding of the role of physical activity and exercise for the health of the population as well as the most promising principles for encouraging more people to become physically active. The unit is largely multi-disciplinary and goes beyond disease prevention to explore themes like positive wellbeing and maintenance of functional ability and retaining independence and how the environment determines our physical activity behaviour. Particular attention is given to physical activity as a behaviour that is not merely a lifestyle "choice"; but rather the outcome of a complex web of societal, cultural, economic, political and individual circumstances that lead to the formation of personal habits across the lifespan. Students will work individually and collaboratively and be encouraged to discuss, debate, and critically evaluate the evidence.

Classes
As this unit is an Open Learning Environment unit of study and is completely online, there are no attendance requirement

Assessment
(60%) Tutorial Quizzes, (40%) Written Essay

Textbooks
No text books will be required. A number of core readings will be sourced and be made available via the e-Reserve in the library.