Physical Activity & Health
Physical Activity & Health
Increasing the amounts of physical activity the general population undertakes has become a national priority.
The rationale for the drive to increase physical activity is based on several key health related themes highlighted in a number of government documents that have been produced in the last few years.
Improving Health
There is now compelling evidence for the impact of physical activity on an ever broadening range of chronic diseases covering:
* Cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease
* Associated risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes
* Obesity (alongside improving diet and nutrition)
* Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
* Certain cancers and particularly colon cancer
* Falls and accidents particularly amongst older people
* Mental health including stress, anxiety and depression
* Musculo-skeletal problems including arthritis, osteoporosis and low back pain
Key documents include:
* Department of Health (DoH) (2004) Chief Medical Officers Report. At Least Five A Week : Evidence On The Impact Of Physical Activity And Its Relationship To Health.
* DoH (2001) Exercise Referral Systems: A National Quality Assurance Framework
* DoH National Service Frameworks For CHD (2000), Diabetes (1999), Older People (2001), Mental Health (1999) , Long Term Conditions (2005)
Reducing Health Inequalities
The Independent Inquiry into inequalities in health highlighted the gap that exists between those with the best and worst health and more recent government documents have placed an emphasis on tackling health inequalities according to local need with particular emphasis on disadvantaged groups or areas. The following groups have been identified as having lower physical activity levels than the general population:
* Young people
* Older people
* Lower socio-economic groups
* Black and minority ethnic groups
* Those with Chronic Diseases
* People with disabilities
* Women
Key documents include:
* DoH (1998) Health Survey for England
* DoH (2004) Choosing Health making healthy choices easier.
* Acheson D (1998) Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health report
* Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (2002). Game Plan: A strategy for delivering the Governments sport and physical activity objectives.
* Sport England (2005) Active People Survey
Economic benefits
The estimated cost of inactivity for England is £8.2 billion to the NHS and the economy. This does not include the contribution of inactivity to obesity which has been estimated to cost £2.5 billion and which will continue to rise if trends are not reversed. In addition by 2020 over 50% of the population will be over 50 and increases in activity for this target group will lessen the burden on the health and social care services by improving their ability to remain independent and reducing social isolation. If the proportion of inactive people was reduced by just 5%, theoretically a £300 million saving in costs per year could be achieved.
Key documents include:
* Wanless D. (2002) Securing our future health: taking a long term view. HMSO
* DCMS (2002). Game Plan (see above)
* CMO (2004) At least 5 a week (see above)
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