International approaches to health-oriented physical education : local health debates and differing conceptions of health

Physical education's place in school curricula has been justified in different ways over the last 150 years. Health in a general sense has always been part of this rationalisation, and within current cultural contexts, health has gained increasing significance. However, a global look at health reveals that it has been approached in different ways - both as justification and in practice. The broad aims of this paper are to map out some of the ways that health is conceptualized and practiced and to identify underlying assumptions that frame these approaches. We begin by briefly examining the existing literature that links health with physical education. We then introduce the voices of four advocates of health from three different countries. These scholars respond to a set of questions concerning public health debates; current theories of health; research and evidence; practical approaches in physical education; problems, and 'best practice'. These commentaries are treated as empirical material and are considered in the final section of the paper. The specific aim here is to consider and locate the commentaries within their cultural environments. We conclude with some reflective questions for thinking about approaches to health in physical education.