Addressing disparities in physical inactivity requires system-level solutions

Addressing disparities in physical inactivity, to ensure access to prevention, requires system-level solutions

Collaboration with the medical profession is a global aspiration for the sector. In the US, the PHIT Act (Personal Health Investment Today) has just been re-presented to Congress as part of a major push on prevention and in the UK, closer collaboration between the physical activity sector, prevention and medical has been bolstered by the publication of a new government report called Harnessing the benefits of physical activity, published by NHS England.

The PHIT Act – long championed by the Health and Fitness Association (IHRSA) – would address rising healthcare costs and improve access to preventative health solutions and boost the sector at a time when health budgets are being slashed.

Recommendations from NHS England also represent the coming to fruition of decades of lobbying and hard work and offer an exciting fresh start in setting the direction for collaboration.

The NHS report lays out the argument for prevention in plain terms, saying: “There’s overwhelming evidence that the benefits of physical activity far outweigh any risks, for both adults and children and even for those with health conditions.”

It goes on to stack up evidence, including – for example – that ‘one in six’ premature deaths in the UK from any cause can be attributed to inactivity”.

“People who are inactive, for whatever reason, are less able to participate in society”, say the authors, “both socially and economically”.

A report by Sport England and Sheffield Hallam University found physical activity’s role in preventing serious physical and mental health conditions provided over £9.5 billion in value in a year to the economy.

Ultimately, the authors see four ways forward for collaboration and these are: empowering health and care professionals; integrating physical activity into clinical pathways; supporting the NHS workforce and; supporting innovation and evaluation with partners.

Many health professionals have been reluctant to collaborate, so it’s music to our ears that the report says. “Unlocking the potential of physical activity will require healthcare leaders to be much more ambitious, incorporating promotion of physical activity into wider plans on prevention and long-term conditions management”.

We completely agree that collaboration between the NHS and the sector is essential to embedding physical activity into health and care and that addressing disparities in physical inactivity requires system-level solutions.

Read the UK report at www.HCMmag.com/NHSEngland