BLOG - How Public Health England's physical activity strategy can learn from sport and recreation

The Alliance's Verity Comley blogs on the publication today of Public Health England's new physical activity strategy, Everybody Active, Every Day.

Today Public Health England (PHE) have released Everybody Active, Every Day: An evidence based approach to physical activity.

The intention is to develop a national approach to increase levels of physical activity in local communities.

It is a welcome document given that unquestionably there is a problem.

When compared on an international scale the UK has a 20% larger rate of inactivity than the USA.

Around one in two women and a third of men in England are damaging their health through lack of physical activity and physical inactivity directly contributes to one in six deaths in the UK.

We need nothing short of a revolution in physical activity in the UK.

Everybody Active, Every Day highlights the need to make real changes to people’s lifestyles, and throughout their lives, to reverse these damaging patterns. This is crucial to individuals achieving the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) guidelines on how much physical activity people should be doing for good health.

But so is organised, regular activity through dance groups, sports clubs, outdoor pursuits and a whole range of other activities. And while this is acknowledged in Everybody Active, Every Day, the role of these groups is somewhat downplayed.

This seems short-sighted given that the document recognises that the best, most successful interventions are also those that are high quality and fun.

The social connections and enhancement to wellbeing that these groups contribute to is unparalleled and must be a key part of the Government’s strategy to increase activity levels.

Some good examples of our members’ work which touch individuals at different points in their lives include:

•tThe Rambler's Walking for Health scheme, run with Macmillan Cancer Support, is England’s national network of health walk schemes, offering free short walks over easy terrain led by trained walk leaders. It supports around 600 local schemes across England that deliver a range of group walks for over 75,000 regular walkers.

•tAmateur Swimming Association (ASA) run a Dementia Friendly Swimming project which is being further developed by providing low intensity exercise, relaxation sessions and Swimfit for people with dementia and their carers.

•tSchools Tennis Programme provides young people with a positive early experience of tennis in the hope that this will be a factor in their progression and retention in the game as they get older. Since 2009, the scheme has supported more than 17,000 schools across Great Britain with free teacher training, resources and equipment, and has provided training to 31,100 teachers and coaches to help them deliver tennis in schools.

PHE recognises that ‘much of this is not about new investment: it’s about maximising the potential of assets we already have in common land, woodland, streets, parks, leisure facilities, community halls, and workspaces and thinking differently about how we commission and plan public services’.

The Alliance fully supports this approach, earlier this year we published a document with the Forestry Commission which was a guide to sport and recreation in forests.

By providing a range of opportunities, we can inspire the whole nation to get active, not just the lucky few who are able to walk or cycle to work.

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