Government bodies acknowledge much more must be done to promote exercise
Lord Coe, Chair, British Olympic Association
Since the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, we’ve set out to deliver what no other host nation has done before: a lasting legacy that benefits future generations. Legacy is a long-term programme
and we’ve made an excellent start, including over £11bn of economic benefits, eight out of eight retained Olympic Park venues with their future secured, and 1.5 million more people playing sport once a week since we won the bid in 2005. But one area where there
Mike Kelly Director, Centre of Public Health, NICE
The ukactive report highlights the growing problem of physical inactivity and the fact that resources have not been directed to target this issue in certain parts of the country. Inactivity has a huge societal cost.
The fact that local councils spend just 2.4 per cent of their top-tier public health budgets on programmes aimed at promoting physical activity is disproportionately low compared to other top-tier concerns like substance misuse or smoking. We must prioritise investment into encouraging more people to get active. ukactive’s evidence-based
recommendations are designed to help local government do just that, to
April 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
make the best use of its limited funds in improving public health. They are practical, cost-effective measures that will not only improve the health and wellbeing of their communities, but lead to cost savings in the long term. We must also ensure that open
spaces and built environments are better used to offer effective programmes and interventions to increase the number of people who lead an active lifestyle. The findings from the report will be
embedded within the priorities of the medical profession’s considerations over the coming years to turn the tide on physical inactivity and improve millions of lives.
remains work to do is securing the physical activity legacy from the Games. Still 44 per cent of adults fail to meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guideline of 150 minutes’ physical activity a week, and 29 per cent of adults fail to achieve even 30 minutes’ physical activity over seven days. That’s why I recently helped launch the government and mayor of London’s ‘Moving More, Living More’ initiative to reduce inactivity. This initiative is bringing together government – working in a joined-up way across departments – with the mayor of London’s teams, local government, business and, above all, individuals and community groups who know how to get people moving. Turning the tide of inactivity is a
hugely important outcome for our legacy story. I welcome the recent report from ukactive, whose analysis and recommendations have helped establish the scale of the problem and provide an important step towards tackling the issue. Turning the tide of physical inactivity must be viewed as a national priority and the report makes a persuasive case for action. I’m delighted that ukactive is working with us on the ‘Moving More, Living More’ campaign. ●
This feature fi rst appeared in Sports Management, issue 1 2014
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 67
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ DUDAREV MIKHAIL
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