Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the

number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect
on public health and that other measures are required. Discuss both these views
and give your own opinion.

It is argued that providing more sports centres or health clubs would be the most
effective method for improving public health. From my point of view, however, proper
health education would be a better measure.

On one hand, people’s health has been greatly enhanced thanks to participation in
sports facilities. It is true that fitness levels are increased by taking part in physical
activities such as doing daily exercise or playing sports. Therefore, the increasing
popularity of gym classes or sports clubs gives people more chances to improve their
health. After a hard working day, many residents in my neighbourhood attend evening
yoga classes in order to keep fit and stay healthy.

On the other hand, I would argue that increasing the provision of sports amenities
would have little impact on public health. This can be explained by the fact that many
people who paid for an annual gym membership failed to go entirely after just one
month. Therefore, I think that it is more important to educate citizens about basic
health awareness. A person would easily avoid some potential health problems if he
is equipped with sufficient basic knowledge about medicine and health care. For
example, when a child knows more about the adverse effects of smoking, he might be
less likely to take up this bad habit in his adulthood. Public campaigns and health
protection programmes, thus, should be promoted so that people know how to protect
their health effectively.

In conclusion, the growing prevalence of sports facilities has brought a wide range of
health benefits for people; yet, I personally believe that raising public awareness
through health campaigns would have a more positive impact on improving people’s
health.
Vocabulary
proper health education: giáo dục tốt về sức khỏe
greatly enhanced/improved: được cải thiện
fitness levels: mức độ thể chất
to keep fit: giữ dáng
to stay healthy: khỏe mạnh
sports amenities: các cơ sở thể thao
an annual gym membership: thể tập gym 1 năm
educate citizens about: giáo dục người dân về vấn đề gì
potential health problems: những vấn đề sức khỏe tiềm ẩn
to be equipped with sufficient basic knowledge about: được trang bị kiến thức về
the adverse effects of: những tác hại cuẩ cái gì
to take up a bad habit: tạo thành một thói quen xấu
Public campaigns: những chiến dịch cộng đồng
health protection programmes: những chương trình bảo vệ sức khỏe
to raise public awareness: nâng cao ý thức cộng đồng
Excessive consumption of…: việc tiêu thụ quá mức
Sedentary lifestyles: lối sống thụ động
Fast food – junk food (đồ ăn vặt) –
pre-made food: thức ăn được chuẩn bị sẵn
to have a healthy diet = have a balanced diet: có 1 chế độ ăn lành mạnh, cân bằng
to have an unhealthy diet = have an imbalanced diet: có 1 chế độ ăn không lành
mạnh, không cân bằng
to take part in = participate in = engage in: tham gia vào
rapid weight gain: sự tăng cân nhanh chóng
weight problems: các vấn đề về cân nặng
obesity (n): sự béo phì
obese(adj): béo phì
child obesity = childhood obesity = obesity among children: béo phì ở trẻ em
to take regular exercise: tập thể dục thường xuyên
physical activity: hoạt động thể chất
to make healthier food choices: lựa chọn thực phẩm lành mạnh hơn
public health campaigns: chiến dịch cộng đồng vì sức khỏe
school education programmes: chương trình giáo dục của trường học
to impose taxes on the use fast food: đánh thuế lên việc sử dụng đồ ăn nhanh
to suffer from various health issues: mắc hàng loạt các vấn đề về sức khỏe
home-cooked food: thức ăn được nấu tại nhà
to be at a higher risk of heart diseases: tỷ lệ cao mắc phải bệnh tim
average life expectancy: tuổi thọ trung bình
treatment costs: chi phí chữa trị
the prevalence of fast food and processed food: việc ưa chuộng đồ ăn nhanh và
đồ ăn có sẵn.
try to eat more vegetables and fruit: cố gắng ăn nhiều rau củ và trái cây