New book to explore the growing collaboration between the sport and health sectors

In his book, Sports-Based Health Interventions: Case Studies from Around the World, Professor Alan White, Founder and Co-director of the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Beckett, looks at the role of sport and sports settings as a vehicle for achieving health outcomes, as well as some of the practical and moral challenges presented by sport and public health partnerships working together.

Professor White said: “Mainstream health services cannot meet the public health challenges facing the world’s population and more innovative ways have to be found to promote healthy living.”

Working collaboratively with David Conrad, Consultant in Public Health - Evidence & Intelligence at Hertfordshire County Council, and a wide range of experts from across the globe, the book features 20 detailed examples of programmes that have already been developed around the world. Chapters include: Sport as a post-disaster psychosocial intervention for children in Bam, Iran; Slum Soccer: female empowerment through football; and Sex and Sport: an Australian rules football-based chlamydia screening initiative.

Published by Springer, Sports-based Health Interventions also shares valuable advice and lessons learned to inform the next generation of sports-based public health initiatives. Professor White explained: “There are many issues that need to be considered in using sport for public health work, including how to make it inclusive to all groups, and to avoid some of the more negative connotations of commercial sport.

“We were aware that there was greater potential for using sport as a way of reaching out to those most in need than currently utilised and this book is intended to act as an incentive to others to consider this approach.”

Professor White was co-founder of the Men’s Health Forum (England & Wales) and the chair of the Board of Trustees for 12 years, he is now a Patron.  He is the Author of five books, including Promoting Men’s Mental Health and Men’s Health – how to do it, and has been involved in a number of health initiatives run in conjunction with sport, including ‘The Evaluation of the Premier League Health’ and ‘Football Fans in Training’.

Professor White recently headed up an international team of academics to complete ‘The State of Men’s Health in Europe’ report for the European Commission and was also on the team completing the European Commission study on the Role of Men in Gender Equality.  Amongst other projects, Professor White is currently working on a detailed analysis of men’s health in Leeds for the City Council.

An event to celebrate the books published in 2015 by academics from the School of Health is to be held at the University’s Headingley campus on Friday 29 January from 4pm to 6pm. Books include:

Conrad, D., & White, A. (2016) Sports-Based Health Interventions: Case Studies from Around the World. New York: Springer.

Frost, N., Abbott, S. & Race, T. (2015) Family Support: Prevention, Early Intervention and Early Help. Cambridge: Polity.

Hill, D., Penson, W.J., & Charura, D. (2015) Working with Dual Diagnosis: A Psycho Social Perspective. London: Palgrave-Macmillan.

Robertson, S. Gough, B. Robinson, M. Raine, G. Mental Health in Adult Men In: Steen, M. Thomas, M. (Eds) A Review and Resource of Mental Health from the Cradle to the Grave. London: Routledge