Actively involved with the Olympics?

Are we turning into a nation of spectators rather than participants? Obesity levels for boys and girls have increased dramatically over the past 10 years whilst the percentage of those taking the recommended amount of daily exercise has fallen.

The Olympic committee has stressed that one of the major benefits of the 2012 London Olympic Games is that it will encourage more people to take up sport and improve the health of the nation. There is good reason for their claims, after the Athens Olympics more than a quarter of people living in England said they had been inspired by the British medal winning performances to play more sport or to take up a new sport.

But will people do what they say?

Your task is to conduct a survey of 14-16 year olds in your area and find out about their exercise habits, to see if London winning the Olympic bid has made a difference to them and get the low-down on whether the London Olympics will be something that gets them off their seats or if it is just another armchair event.

You should also create an activity database to work out how many calories 5 test users burn per week and what activities they could take part in to increase this.

You will write a formal letter to various officials in your local area, finding out about what sports facilities exist and if anything is being done to increase or expand these facilities.

You’ll also produce an information point about the London 2012 Olympics giving details of what students can do to become more involved in sport.

To complement this you need to also produce an information leaflet, aimed at parents, detailing ways they can participate in more sport and exercise and encourage their family to do the same.

Lastly you will put all your work together in an e-portfolio and write an extensive review of the whole process.