【resubmit] Many people believe that the government should increase sports facilities to solve the public health problem, but others think that other measures should be taken to resolve the issue. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Public health problems have always been a concern in many countries. There is a growing advocacy for the addition of sports facilities to improve the health level of citizens. While these facilities do contribute to people’s health, I believe that other measures can be taken, too.

The increasing number of sports facilities can promote people’s fitness. The availability of more sports facilities, such as public parks, tennis courses, swimming pools, can help to reduce the need to travel a long distance to sports centres, encouraging people to develop a habit of regular exercise in their free time. The visible presence of others participating in sports activities will make it possible for those who prefer a sedentary lifestyle to become more physically active, too. For example, if local residents see their neighbours jogging or doing yoga in the park, they will put down their mobile phones and be keen to follow suit, which in turn helps them release stress from work or study and build strong bodies.

However, other measures can be as significant to enhance people’s health because the lack of exercise is not the only factor that leads to health problems. One measure that can be undertaken is launching health awareness campaigns on television programmes. For example, governments can educate the public about the consequences of poor diet habits such as fast food, which are calorically high and nutritionally low, and the latter will reduce the consumption of such food, potentially leading to a reduction in obesity rate and other health problems. Additionally, clear calories and ingredients should be required to be labelled on the package of food so that people can make wiser food choices; government can impose penalties on those businesses that fail to follow this policy.

Personally, I think providing more sports facilities can only best benefit those who are already fond of sports, and it is more important to motivate the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle.