lets all get out and enjoy a walk
"Sir Chris Whitty urges Britons to fight war on obesity by cycling. Britons should cycle to work to tackle obesity rates, Sir Chris Whitty said. Obesity rates in the UK have got 'substantially worse over time', physical exercise is one of 'most effective ways of improving health', England's chief medical officer warned many aspects of public health had 'either trodden water or even gone backwards' over the last two years – including levels of obesity.
A quarter of children aged 10 were obese during the first year of the pandemic, up from a fifth in 2019, NHS England data shows.
And three-quarters of adults in the country were overweight or obese before Covid emerged.
Despite exercise being one of the 'most effective ways of improving health', Britons are cycling at less than a quarter of the level of their grandparent's generation, Sir Chris said.
Active transport, such as cycling to work, adds activity into people's normal routine, he said.
Sir Chris told the Local Government's Association public health conference: 'I think there's often a feeling that it's going to be very hard work to get people to, for example, take up cycling.
'But if you went back to the '50s and '60s there were extremely high rates of people cycling for work as well as recreationally across the country.'
Department for Transport data highlighted by Sir Chris showed people in England collectively clocked up around 24billion km of cycling in 1949. But rates have dropped significantly since then, with Britons cycling just 5billlion km in 2019.
Sir Chris said despite efforts to promote walking and cycling during the pandemic, rates of obesity soared across the country. Many areas of public health have either 'trodden water or gone backwards over the last two year and we do need to quite seriously address them'. Obesity in the UK has got 'substantially worse over time', especially among children, he warned.
Boris Johnson announced a crackdown on obesity in 2020 after a near-fatal bout of Covid which he attributed to being overweight. As part of the plan, new laws restricting offers on foods high in fat, sugar and salt are due to come into effect in medium and large shops in October. Junk food giants will also be banned from advertising online and before 9pm on TV by January 2023.
Sir Chris said: 'One of the things that is the most effective ways of improving health – whether it's cardiovascular, cancer or mental health – is physical exercise. 'And active transport is a particularly important way to do this because it builds it into people's normal routines of daily life, rather than being seen as something that is separate.' He said cycling statistics from the 50s demonstrates that 'the idea that the UK is a country you can't actually do cycling is clearly incorrect'. Sir Chris pointed to data from the Health Foundation, which showed that increasing the amount of walking or cycling across England could lead to a significant reduction in premature deaths.
He added: 'What happened during the Covid crisis is that we saw many local authorities being extremely imaginative in the way that they made it easier for people to walk and cycle to work, to shops as well as recreationally – largely as a way of trying to get people off public transport where they could pass on or acquire Covid. 'But what this demonstrates is what can be done and there's a lot that could be done in every area of the country.'
Sir Chris also acknowledged that other public health problems, such as air pollution, improved during lockdowns. The chief medical officer will address air pollution in his annual report later this year, but refused to draw links between the car and tobacco industries. He said: 'People need to get around, and the car industry is an important part of that, whereas no-one needs to smoke and the cigarette industry essentially makes profits by killing its fellow citizens. 'The correct number of cigarettes in the UK is zero. And the correct number of cars in the UK is definitely not zero.'"
Words above and relevant links/charts can be seen here
Also see Marks Daily Apple site here
Related Post
'Exercise for Better Health' - read it here
lets all go out and enjoy a bicycle ride
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All the best Jan
28 comments:
It seem the younger people are into video games.
Coffee is on and stay safe
Tough to exercise outdoors in this cold Toronto spring.
Similar here Jan.
...the pandemics has caused many problems.
Lockdowns made so many things worse - for so many people.
Yo creo que todos los confinados aumentamos un poco de peso. Te mando un beso.
The last time I went cycling, I ended up with bruises, road rash, a fractured arm and two teeth knocked out of place. I was so beaten up that strangers would stop and ask me what happened, then tell me a horror story about a cycling accident involving someone they knew. The receptionist at the orthopedic surgeon's office said they saw cycling accident victims all the time. But hey, cycling is healthy, right? No doubt, it's out of sheer laziness that more people don't cycle to work--not because they have kids to drive around, clients to see, errands to run, groceries to pick up, and perhaps bad roads, bad weather or bad neighborhoods to deal with.
I feel sad at the sight of obese young children. It will be so difficult for them to change their lifestyle when their childhood has been one of poor diet and a lack of exercise.
In the 50s there were far fewer vehicles on the road and cycling was considerably safer!
I think it depends on what you class as obese. Some of the figures on the NHS BMI calculator are just silly, you'd have to be a stick insect to fit into some of the 'normal' ranges shown. I should imagine that during lockdown, many people will have just sat at home indoors, though we saw many more people out for a walk during these times than we usually do.
We were allowed to go outside for walks during the lockdown here.
It is nice to a have a yard for the children to go outside and play.
Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.
Todos los día salimos a caminar. Nos hace bien movernos.
Buena semana para Todos.
Un abrazo.
Covid had a lot of us turning to baking and eating.
Many people, not just those in the UK, put on weight during the pandemic. People were in lockdown, and had to find ways to exercise within the confines of their own homes and apartments. I can see how the lockdown exacerbated obesity, and I worry about the health of the world in general. As the rivers and oceans got cleaner, we got lazier.
I'm not surprised. But I suppose it depends on the definitions. We certainly do walk and cycle less (well, not Rick, but most people!)
I guess everyone has tended to sit more and eat more during these pandemic days :(
It was cold in Sweden too when I was young, winter was from November through mid-March and we were always outside. I lived in a suburb with plenty of nature around and a garden to play in. I imagine this must be so much more difficult in a city of today where kids aren't really safe and parents need to step up.
Very interesting post. During the shut in time of the Pandemic, I started walking inside in place with an exercise video geared for indoors and walked me to music and coaching for 2-3 miles in place. It helped. I live in a high rise so if I went outside, I needed to walk in the hallway and share an elevator. I did have a balcony to sit outside.
Obesity is horrible for anyone but especially for kids.
I see it in people I know - more weight put on - ....myself included although I did get out most of the time during lockdown because we were able to in this small community. It's usually winter that keeps me in more. thanks for the article. Actually thanks for your commitment to keeping us entertained, educated and enjoying what you post. I usually learn things when I come here that I didn't know before.
I easily believe that many people put on weight during the pandemic and it's particularly horrible for children. We did a lot of walking here, in fact I was outside walking almost every day. However, I do have to object to the cycling. I used to cycle a lot when I was living in a German university town where bicycles on the road were a given and drivers in cars paid attention. However, since I have been living in the US I only rarely ride my bike, perhaps once a week. It's simply too dangerous here. American drivers don't seem to be used to bikes on the road and don't know how to behave around them. It can be downright frightening. I also don't think it's reasonable to cite a 50's statistic in 2022. There were far less cars in the road back then and they also wouldn't speep like modern cars. - Physical exercise is important, but I wouldn't focus solely on bicycling.
That is not surprising.
I´m glad my Brother takes good care of his daughters. Often when he calls me the kids run around in the garden, they cycle, they go to sport.
Also in lockdown you can go outside, it really depends on the parents.
We loved to cycle during lockdown and we did most days because it was safe to do so. Not a chance now the cars are back on the road. It's not just the drivers, it's the actual roads around us. If you stick to the kerbside they are full of grates and potholes just waiting to throw you off!
I have no excuse for not walking, but I never have been comfortable riding a bicycle in the streets.
I know I would feel.a lot better if I lost some eff weight, though.
I got on my bike after a year or so off it and I could barely cycle. I'm determined to build up to cycling again. I do miss it.xxx
Otro reportaje interesante, me gustó mucho. Besos.
I know the pandemic hasn't been good for my exercise routine that is for sure, hopefully this summer it will get back were it needs to be
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