Be Active Be Healthy

 David Kidney has been taking a look at the new plan to get the nation moving - "Be active, Be healthy". This plan helps local authorities, and Primary Care trusts to work together to get local people more active.

 It puts physical activity at the heart of communities and at the centre of local authorities’ efforts to tackle obesity. Already obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths a year in England and there are fears that without action this figure will get worse in the future.

“Over 27 million adults in England are not getting enough exercise. The Chief Medical Officer recommends 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week to achieve health benefits for adults. 14 million people don’t even complete one 30 minute session of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

“Physical inactivity has been estimated to cost the NHS up to £1.8 billion a year and the wider economic costs of sickness and early death may be as high as £8.3 billion. Physical inactivity costs each Primary Care Trust on average £5million a year – that’s equivalent to 1,000 hip replacements or 170, 000 nurse consultations.

Physical activity has been said to be the ‘best buy’ in public health, given the high levels of physical inactivity and the compelling evidence on the health benefits of being more active.”

The Key Measures include :

partnerships with private and voluntary organisations,

a  new ‘Learn to Swim’ programme for adults,

more Active Challenge walking routes and the expansion of the Walking the Way to Health scheme.

It is also suggested that more people want to learn to dance, harnessing a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fever that has swept the nation.

“This plan is largely focused on adults, as children and young people’s physical activity is largely planned already through support for school-based physical education and swimming as well as sport and dance opportunities outside school.  The plan recognises the ‘once in a lifetime’ potential of the 2012 Olympic Games to inspire individuals to make a commitment to activity and create a health legacy for the nation.

 GPs will give brief advice on getting fit – prescribing physical activities just as readily as drugs.

 £4 million for ‘County Sport Partnerships’ will help bring together councils, Primary Care Trusts and other grassroots providers to make the plan work locally.