HEADLINES
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Change4Life is an initiative, supported by the Department of Health, bringing together health and eductaion professionals, industry and the third sector with the shared aims to improve children's diets and levels of activity so reducing the threat to their future health and happiness.
Find out more about the Change4Life programme here PDF Doc (77KB)
Healthy Weight - Healthy Lives: July 2008
In England two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are now overweight or obese. The cost to the Health Service is estimated at £16m a year. The Government has recognised that the obesity crisis is as important as climate change in terms of its potential impact on our day to day lives and have announced a cross-Government strategy ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’. It has also produced a Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies which highlights the importance of having walking policies to help combat obesity (p.39)
Although nutrition is often blamed for the nation’s weight gain, we know from research that this is only part of the problem: physical inactivity is equally to blame. As activity has been engineered out of our lives by technologies like escalators and motorised transport, we need to make a conscious effort to replace the incidental activity that used to be an integral part of previous generations’ lives.
By investing in what it names as a ‘Walking into Health’ campaign, the Government aims to get a third of England walking at least 1,000 more steps daily by 2012 – an extra 15 billion steps a day. Walk England is keen to help the Government reach this target. Please watch this space closely for regular updates on how those 15 billion steps might get trod.
A good review of the Obesity epidemic can be found here on the BBC website.
Recent research, published in the Daily Mail on 26th March 08 from the Universities of Nottingham and Washington has identified growing obesity in older women which is leading to a greater risk of falls and other injuries.
Strong muscles cut the risk of falls and fractures so it is vital for women to take exercise as they age. The research suggests that women find it harder than men to keep in shape as they get older. They tend to have less muscle so their balance is not as good and they are at more risk of falling.
If you have views on this why not join one of our Forums or get in touch if you have spotted a more recent report that you think we should add here to keep the debate alive.