Football (Soccer) as a Public Health Initiative

The Blogger at a football 'wellness' session
on a windy field in Richmond, Virginia

Okay...this is now too good to be true. My two passions- medicine and football (soccer) in collaboration.


A recent article published in the  European Journal of Applied Physiology explores the health impact of a football 'wellness' program in homeless men.  Read the summary here.

Fifty-five men enrolled in the study and were randomized either to receive soccer training two or three times a week or to serve as a control group. After 12 weeks, the group who regularly played soccer reduced their body fat and lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, compared with the control group. The soccer players also improved other markers of cardiovascular health.

Football as a public health initiative. I love it.

For another interesting read, check out How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer.

A must read.