Current Issues in Leisure

3776_Leisure_AS_Unit06.qxd 3/2/06 14:13 Page 118 This is a challenging unit in which you will research make your mind up whether you want to pursue a topic of your own choosing. If done well, it it further. Unit 6 should be of great value to those of you going on Simply being aware of each issue covered will be to either higher education or moving directly into of benefit to you in the future. These are the the leisure industry. topics that are discussed every day by leisure This unit is best taken towards the end of your industry professionals. programme so that the full amount of your Current Issues As well as the issues themselves, this unit covers knowledge and understanding of the diversity of the methods for researching and presenting your leisure can be used to complete your study. The project. Leisure research usually aims to uncover research project will require you to work fairly patterns of behaviour and can be used to explain in Leisure independently. When covering the various issues them. It can also be used to evaluate events and to consider, however, there is plenty of opportunity shape policy. The purpose of research can be to for you to work in groups and share ideas. find the best solution to a practical problem, or Because of the diversity of the leisure industry, to test whether what is currently being done is you can be sure of a good choice of subjects. valid. Research is regularly started before large Topics 2–7 give examples of suitable research projects are undertaken or management decisions topics or issues. While the scope is broad, you are about to be made, so that the findings will may choose something not outlined in this unit, ‘inform decisions’, such as a new policy or from your teacher, class discussion, or your own programme for a centre. reading. An example not covered in the unit is Topics 1 and 8 will help you with the structure of the issue of security at large events and a popular your project, but ultimately you have to choose research project might look at the changes since the subject, identify the problem, devise the title, September 2001. This unit provides you with the decide on what methods of research to use, carry prospect of looking more closely at an area that it out and analyse the information gathered. already interests you, or the chance to study a topic which you have no previous knowledge about. In the course of this unit we shall try to give you enough information about an issue to 6.1 Issues in leisure Topic 1 Lifestyle and health 120 Topic 2 Equality, diversity and inclusion 126 Topic 3 Sex, gender and race 130 Topic 4 Events, festivals and traditions 136 Topic 5 Government and policy in leisure 140 Topic 6 The media and commercial issues 146 6.2 Leisure research project Topic 7 Selecting and planning a research project 152 Topic 8 Final planning and writing of your research proposal 158 Industry focus 161 How Unit 6 is assessed 163 3776_Leisure_AS_Unit06.qxd 3/2/06 14:13 Page 120 Topic 1 Lifestyle and health In this and the following five topics you will get the chance to think about certain issues in more depth. Hopefully you will find an issue in which you can see some potential for your own work. In each of the topics some background will be given, and key issues will be signposted for you to explore further or take as themes for your research. The material will not be sufficient to complete your project, but enough to get you started, so additional reading and research will be needed. In this first topic you will explore A programme of exercise and diet are necessary to combat obesity. lifestyle and health-related issues: I Obesity Obesity is an increasingly worrying problem in society outputs will cause weight problems. To combat as big a problem as smoking or drinking – which weight gain and the onset of obesity a programme of I Heart disease threatens to develop into an epidemic of startling exercise and diet need to be combined. I Drug dependency proportions. I Eating disorders Amongst the reasons for obesity (particularly in the Statistics show that people are actually more developed world) is the abundance of food on offer I Balancing stress through leisure successful at giving up smoking and reducing their alongside manipulative messages from food and I Special population leisure needs 120 drinking, than losing weight. Experts put this down to drinks companies promoting relationships between 121 I Topic 1 Unit 6 Healthy living campaigns. the emphasis on ‘negative change goals’ which means happiness and consumption. eating fewer dairy products or snacks, but without Consider the following questions: implementing ‘positive change goals’, such as eating I Current Issues inLeisure persuading obese people to change their lifestyle How effective are leisure providers and activities at Obesity healthily and exercising as an alternative. Lifestyle andhealth habits. Five stages to this process have been combating this problem? The first topic you might choose to study in terms of Obese people are not always fully aware of calorific suggested by experts: I leisure and lifestyle is obesity. Described here are the intake (levels of energy), or how much energy they What incentives are there for leisure operators to provide resources to help tackle obesity? problems that obesity causes, but you might also The stages of transforming health and well- need to expend to balance this. High intakes and low research some of the remedies that active leisure being I How far does the media highlight the need for provides. people to change their lifestyles? Obesity is normally found in men when their body fat Pre-contemplation – getting some professional I If the larger share of the solution comes down to level exceeds 25 per cent. For women the level is 30 input about the condition an individual’s determination, how important is per cent. Obese levels of body fat increase the risk of availability of information and easy access to leisure contracting diseases and put many of the vital organs facilities? and body systems under pressure. It is a particularly Contemplation – thinking about how the change important cause of heart disease. will affect one’s life activity For those with a tendency for putting on weight, it TACKLING OBESITY can sometimes be attributed to hereditary reasons Preparation – making a positive move by 1 Visit your local leisure centre and identify if (genetics), but also a lack of exercise and poor diet. assessing one’s current state and making plans for there are any programmes or facilities Mental and emotional health plays an important part a new approach aimed – either directly or indirectly – at in how healthy we are too. For many people who are helping users tackle serious weight obese, the challenge is often to try and overcome problems. Action – begin new activity and monitor progress eating patterns and disorders that cause problems. It 2 List TV programmes and organisations often comes down to will-power. helping overweight people. Measuring body fat can sometimes have the effect of Maintenance – plan how to continue 3776_Leisure_AS_Unit06.qxd 3/2/06 14:13 Page 122 Heart disease each you may find something valuable and of interest For information on the steps being taken to combat I Minerals (iron, calcium, sodium, potassium). to explore for your study in more depth. problems of drugs misuse, you can look at the I Water. Heart or cardiovascular problems account for nearly following organisations: half the deaths in America, while in the UK the British Acceptable use of drugs Food provides the body with energy for a number of Heart Foundation says that heart disease is Britain’s World Anti-Doping Agency www.wada-ama.org/en/ tasks such as temperature control, building tissues, Herbal remedies can aid recovery from sport injuries or most common single cause of premature death. International Association of Athletics Federations chemical reactions, and muscle movements. The health problems. Thousands of inexpensive herbal www.iaaf.org/ energy from food is usually measured in ‘calories’. Since the 1970s various studies have supported the remedies are available in a growing market. You might Each gram of fat contains about twice the calories of benefit of vigorous exercise in protecting against study how these are used in conjunction with active Document on UK National Anti-Doping Policy from a similar quantity of carbohydrate. coronary heart disease, and more recently it has been leisure for remedial purposes. More conventional drugs UK Sport www.uksport.gov.uk (This ties into Topic 6 conclusively demonstrated that physically active can also be used to help an athlete’s recovery or simply Government and policy) As a springboard for a topic in this area you might people have a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. to kill pain – allowing them to complete a match, for consider researching a healthy diet for mild Drugs in Sport www.drugsinsport.net/ This can be effective with as little as 30 minutes of example. The immediate effects are evident, but the recreational activities compared to those of Olympic moderate intensity physical activity per day, such as athletes. You might consider assessing the diets of long-term effects of some herbal remedies are less well activity walking. Heart disease costs the UK nearly £8 billion known. people who perform no active leisure. Recent each year in lost earnings and formal and informal THE DRUGS DON’T WORK documentaries have focused on how unhealthy fast health care.

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