Physical activity for the prevention of childood obesity: an overview of key research challenges for physical education

The aim of the present work is to examine the contribution of school physical education to public health, with a special focus to the prevention of overweight, and to consider some fundamental questions and assumptions framing research on physical activity during childhood and adolescence. In particular, this paper comprises four major subtopics related to the key research challenges for physical education. First, it summarize the epidemiological aspects of child obesity and the public health guidelines related to young people’s participation in physical activity, highlighting evidence linking sedentary behaviour and overweight in young people. The other three subtopics contain some questions and assumptions which the Authors consider fundamental to solving challenging problems related to the research on physical education. Can physical education have a lifelong effect? Can physical education affect young people’s physical activity beyond the curriculum and outside of school? How teaching and learning environment affects students’ physical activity? The Authors address these issues by over viewing the research literature pertaining to school-based intervention studies, with specific emphasis on the developmental, psycho-social and environmental factors which can promote physical activity in and outside of school. Future research in physical education need to consider the global epidemic of physical inactivity and the factors contributing to this epidemic, by adopting mixed-methods and multidisciplinary designs, as advocated in ecological models.