This guest blog was kindly written for GuildHE by Professor Bridget Lumb, President, The Physiological Society & Professor Karen Stanton, York St John Vice-Chancellor, Vice-Chair, GuildHE, and has also bee published on The Physiological Society website. If you would like to contribute to GuildHE’s blog, please contact info@guildhe.ac.uk.
If you’re a Tottenham or Liverpool fan still rejoicing from last week’s Champion League triumphs, we don’t need to explain the power and excitement of sport. Those miraculous, edge-of-the-seat turnarounds may have only come to fruition in the final minutes of the matches, but are the result of countless hours of preparation and training by the players on the pitch. This work rests on an army of sports scientists, focused on improving performance and preventing injury. Our continued improved scientific understanding of how the body works is on display every time an athlete pushes themselves that little bit further, or runs that little bit faster.
The importance of Sports and Exercise Science extends far beyond elite athletes. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, depression: all areas in which Sport and Exercise science research is playing a pivotal role in improving the health of everyone. Research in these areas is preventing and treating conditions and diseases that cost the NHS billions every year and are becoming ever more important as we face the challenges of an ageing population.
Sport and Exercise Science is a vital scientific discipline that plays an important role in the health and wealth of the nation. And yet too often it faces an image problem that does not match the reality. That is why The Physiological Society and GuildHE have come together to launch a major new report looking at the economic benefit of Sport and Exercise Science. The findings are clear: as well as being academically rigorous, Sport and Exercise Science courses provide enormous contributions to the UK economy – to the tune of almost £4 billion every year, supporting almost 150,000 jobs.
As well as benefiting the nation, individual students benefit financially, with graduates earning nearly £670,000 more over the course of their careers. For every £1 a student spends on their education, they get gain £5.50, which is a tremendous return on investment. The report also provides a snapshot as to how related research in Sport and Exercise Science addresses a variety of national challenges.
More than just a degree
Our project also highlights the exciting range of ways this research addresses a variety of national challenges. At York St John University, as a core part of their studies, students volunteer their time with sports clubs, sport and exercise therapy clinics and smaller businesses, providing valuable support to organisations that would otherwise be unable to afford it at the same time as developing their own skills. Elsewhere, the University of Portsmouth undertakes research that plays a critical role in the development of new approaches to drowning prevention and water safety education. For example, this research underpins the RNLI’s “Respect the Water” National Water Safety Campaign, informing its “Float First” approach to cold-water survival.
One of the most striking things is just how many universities and colleges of all shapes and sizes are working in this space – our sample covers 30 institutions across Scotland, Wales and England and draws on data from across the UK. There are large institutions, such as the University of Exeter, and others, such as AECC University College in Bournemouth, involved in teaching, research and knowledge exchange in Sport and Exercise Science. It really is a diverse mix that supports and delivers high-quality education.
National importance
Sport and Exercise Science graduates and researchers are working in fields that are becoming increasingly important for the UK. Many graduates go on to work directly in fields related to sport and exercise, such as physiotherapists or coaches, and in turn supporting the sports industry, a major part of the UK’s cultural offer.
Sports and Exercise Science is also improving the quality of life of patients with life threatening diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. For example, Plymouth Marjon works with the NHS and others to help thousands of patients with fibromyalgia and chronic pain lead better lives. Exercise research at Northumbria University is looking at how to improve the duration and quality of life of people with cancer. Work taking place at Liverpool John Moores University is minimising the risk of stair falls, which is the leading cause of accidental death in older people. This week the British Heart Foundation found that the number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases before they reach their 75th birthday is on the rise for the first time in 50 years, making this research even more important (the full press release can be found here).
Such research is vital as we consider how we address the global challenge of how to age well, and improve the health and welling being of us all. This will become ever more important for the UK as the government seeks to deliver its mission, defined in the Industrial Strategy, to ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experiences of the richest and poorest. Sport and Exercise Science research is at the heart of tackling these big issues and these courses produce dynamic and engaged graduates that are committed to addressing some of the major challenges facing society.
Professor Bridget Lumb, President, The Physiological Society
Professor Karen Stanton, York St John Vice-Chancellor, Vice-Chair, GuildHE
Professors Lumb and Stanton are right to highlight the evidence base for the impact that Sport and Exercise Science is having on several global challenges and the UK economy. Their blog and the GuildHE / Physiological Society Economic Impact Assessment predates the publication on the 7/9/2019 of the Chief Medical Officers guidelines on Physical Activity; –
[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829841/uk-chief-medical-officers-physical-activity-guidelines.pdf].
I think it is fair to say that these guidelines could not have included the following material without the research base that has been created by Sport and Exercise Scientists –
‘There have been notable developments in the evidence base for the health effects of sedentary time in adults, with research suggesting sitting time is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and cancer risk and survivorship. Prolonged sitting is harmful, even in people who achieve the recommended levels of MVPA.’
‘This report recognises an emerging evidence base for the health benefits of performing very vigorous intensity activity performed in short bouts interspersed with periods of rest or recovery (high intensity interval exercise, HIIT).’
‘Evidence now demonstrates that there is no minimum amount of physical activity required to achieve some health benefits.’
Whilst Sport and Exercise Science is a success story there is no room for complacency. Arguably the biggest challenge being to respond to the Chief Medical Officers observation that ‘we know there are clear health inequalities in relation to physical inactivity and therefore interventions to promote physical activity must consider this.’ Social justice must be at the heart of sport, exercise and science.
Professors Lumb and Stanton are right to highlight the evidence base for the impact that Sport and Exercise Science is having on several global challenges and the UK economy. Their blog and the GuildHE / Physiological Society Economic Impact Assessment predates the publication on the 7/9/2019 of the Chief Medical Officers guidelines on Physical Activity; –
[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829841/uk-chief-medical-officers-physical-activity-guidelines.pdf].
I think it is fair to say that these guidelines could not have included the following material without the research base that has been created by Sport and Exercise Scientists –
‘There have been notable developments in the evidence base for the health effects of sedentary time in adults, with research suggesting sitting time is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and cancer risk and survivorship. Prolonged sitting is harmful, even in people who achieve the recommended levels of MVPA.’
‘This report recognises an emerging evidence base for the health benefits of performing very vigorous intensity activity performed in short bouts interspersed with periods of rest or recovery (high intensity interval exercise, HIIT).’
‘Evidence now demonstrates that there is no minimum amount of physical activity required to achieve some health benefits.’
Whilst Sport and Exercise Science is a success story there is no room for complacency. Arguably the biggest challenge being to respond to the Chief Medical Officers observation that ‘we know there are clear health inequalities in relation to physical inactivity and therefore interventions to promote physical activity must consider this.’ Social justice must be at the heart of sport, exercise and science.