Bratman first proposed orthorexia nervosa in the late 1990s, defining it an obsession with eating healthy food to achieve, for instance, improved health. Today, in the Swedish media, excessive exercising plays a central role in relation to orthorexia. A few review articles on orthorexia have been conducted; however, these have not focused on aspects of food and eating, sport, exercise, or a societal perspective. The overall aim of this study was to provide an overview and synthesis of what philosophies of science approaches form the current academic framework of orthorexia. Key questions were: What aspects of food and eating are related to orthorexia? What role do exercise and sports play in relation to orthorexia? In what ways are orthorexia contextualized? Consequently, the concept of healthism was used to discuss and contextualize orthorexia. The method used was an integrative literature review; the material covered 19 empirical and theoretical articles published in peer-reviewed journals. This review demonstrates a multifaceted nature of orthorexia research; this field has been examined from four different philosophies of science approaches (i.e., empirical-atomistic, empirical-atomistic with elements of empirical-holistic, empirical-holistic, and rational-holistic) on individual, social, and societal levels. The majority of the articles followed an empirical-atomistic approach that focused on orthorexia as an individual issue, which was discussed using healthism. Our analysis indicates a need for (a) more empirical-holistic research that applies interpretive qualitative methods and uses a social perspective of health, e.g., healthism and (b) examining the role of sports and exercise in relation to orthorexia that takes the problematizing of “orthorexic behaviours” within the sports context into account.

This article reviews research on physical education (PE) teachers’ professionalization considering their relative position at schools and in the community as well as their control over the lesson formation. The position considers issues of prestige, status and esteem while lesson formation regards constitutional, organizational and physical frames. Despite limitations connected mainly to cross-country generalization issues, some major tendencies can be described. In relation to prestige there is a shortage of qualified personnel, while portraying status, signs of marginalization and isolation at schools can be showed. Depicting esteem, PE teachers’ own perceptions are rather positive, while pupils, colleagues and parents show some mistrust. Focusing on constitutional frames, PE teachers’ role in curriculum implementation is complex. The impact of organizational frames is obvious as available teaching time for PE is eroded. The issue of physical frames is serious as a gap exists between curriculum and facilities, equipment as well as available educational material.

Sport and leisure can be of significant importance for the well-being and social support of children and adolescents with physical disabilities. However, it has been established that organized sport sometimes has a social construction, in that those without disabilities are favoured at the expense of others. The aim of this study was, therefore, to describe conceptions of children and adolescents with physical disabilities about their participation in a sports programme. Using questions based on a holistic view of the human being, 20 children and adolescents were interviewed. The method of analysis used was inspired by phenomenography. Six categories emerged: getting new friends, learning, strengthening one’s physique, becoming someone, experiencing nature and having a good time. The findings show the great diversity of sports participation. Further, the conceptions mirror the difficulty of dividing people into groups and of delimiting important areas. The findings highlight the importance of programmes where actors from different sections of society cooperate. Even if the findings cannot be generalized, they nevertheless demonstrate that physical activity involves many positive factors both at the individual and at the society level.

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Parents of children and adolescents with physical disabilities have an important role in strengthening and supporting their children in everyday life. Children and adolescents with physical disabilities do not ordinarily have natural access to club activities, nor do they receive the same support for physical activities as their peers without disabilities. The aim of this Swedish study was to describe parents' conceptions of the influences of participation in a sports programme on their children and adolescents with physical disabilities. The data were collected from 20 parents of children and adolescents with disabilities in the 9-15 year age group through interviews based on a holistic view. The method of analysis used was inspired by phenomenography. Three descriptive categories emerged: achieving good health, being part of a social group and learning a sporting activity. The findings show that the parents regarded sport as a form of health education and as a means for their children to achieve increased participation in society. The findings also show that the learning process was important for empowering the children to influence their life situation.