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Dancing, swimming and walking are just some of the activities proposed in 'Be Active, Be Healthy' - a new strategy that aims to get the country's couch potatoes off their sofas.

More than 27 million adults in England are not getting enough exercise and 14 million don't complete 30 minutes a week.

The new plan puts physical activity at the heart of communities and at the centre of local authorities' efforts to tackle obesity, which is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths each year in England.

Key measures include:

• Partnerships with both private and voluntary organisations to get people moving in their local communities, such as:

- a new 'Learn to Swim' programme for adults as part of the Government's 'Free Swimming' scheme with the Amateur Swimming Association and Sport England;
- a working group to explore how we can get all generations active through dance, harnessing a 'Strictly Come Dancing' fever that has swept the nation;
- a total of 2,012 Active Challenge walking routes across England with Walk England to mark the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games; and
- the expansion of the Walking the Way to Health Scheme which supports over 538 local health walk schemes.

• A new national Physical Activity Alliance will pool the resources of the voluntary and private sector, such as leisure centres and grass root organisations, to get the nation moving.

• More GPs giving brief advice on getting fit to their patients - prescribing physical activities just as readily as drugs.

• £4 million for 'County Sport Partnerships' to help bring together councils, Primary Care Trusts and other grassroots providers to coordinate and deliver physical activities alongside sports.

The plan also reveals the local cost of inactivity to each Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the first time. PCTs spend on average £5 million a year because of inactivity - a cost equivalent to 1,000 hip replacements or 170,000 nurse consultations.

Speaking at the Local Government Association conference, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo called for a 'yes, you can' approach to getting people active including:

• More opportunities for older people to become physically active

• Increased access to Britain's coastline

• An end to the 'No Ball Games' culture

Dawn Primarolo said:

"Physical activity is the key to stopping this country becoming the obesity capital of the world - and it makes us feel better. People of all ages can gain from doing more exercise but not enough of us do the magic 30 minutes, five days a week.

"We have to remove the 'no, you can't' messages across communities to create a 'yes, you can' culture - with more support, more encouragement and more opportunities across communities to get people active.

"The Change4Life campaign is helping families to eat well, move more and live longer and has called for a lifestyle revolution - 'Be Active, Be Healthy' is set to form a vital part of this revolution."

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham said:

"Getting two million people more active by 2012 would be an achievement unsurpassed anywhere in the world. It was a key reason why we were given the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a big challenge, but I am confident that we can do it and make this country a healthier place for generations to come.

"From April millions of over 60s and young people will be able to swim for free thanks to a £140 million investment from Government, in partnership with local authorities. And Sport England is allocating almost half a billion pounds of public money to over 40 sports in a move that will help increase sport opportunities for all. We want to make sure that no barriers stand in the way of anyone who wants to get into sport and get active."

Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, said:

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games make this the perfect time for people across the country to take up the challenge to get up and get active. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to enjoy sport and receive significant benefits to your health and by doing small amount of physical activity you can greatly improve your quality of life. By time the Games come we want two million people more active. Be it walking more regularly or cycling to work or even just using the stairs not the lift - if by 2012 activity is part of your life you'll already be a part of the Olympic legacy."

The Chief Medical Officer recommends 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days a week for adults

Moderate physical activity is defined as activity which causes an individual to feel slightly warm, breathe slight heavier and increases the heart rate.

Approximately 9% deaths could be avoided if people who are currently sedentary did at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. This includes over a third of all deaths due to coronary heart disease.

Physical inactivity costs the NHS £1.8 billion a year and the wider economic costs of sickness and early death may be as high as £8.3 billion.

County Sport Partnerships will receive £1million immediately and a further £3million in 2009/10

The Olympic Legacy Action Plan aims to get two million people more active by 2012

Dawn Primarolo will address the Local Government Association conference, Healthier Communities: Unlocking the potential of sport and physical activity at Local Government House Conference Centre, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ

These new initiatives sit alongside schemes we have already announced including the Government's Free Swimming programme to get more people swimming which has been developed with the Amateur Swimming Association and Sport England, targeting non- or lapsed swimmers and the Fit for the Future pilot which offers subsidised gym membership as an incentive for 16-22 year olds.

Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, said:

"The biggest barrier to people taking part in sport is that they don't think they're fit enough, so 'Be Active, Be Healthy' will really boost Sport England's drive to get more people playing and enjoying sport. Clear leadership on physical activity and strong local partnerships are what we need to get the nation moving."

Phil Gray, Chief Executive at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said:

'We can all need a boost in becoming fit for life, especially if our New Year goals to become more active are starting to slip. Finding a form of physical activity that's both enjoyable and convenient is key to increasing the amount of exercise people undertake in the long-term. By improving opportunities and access to exercise locally, many more people should improve their fitness and health.'

Wednesday 11 February 2009 00:01
Department of Health

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