Promoting Well Being

Why do we need a strategy?

We live in inactive times when many people take to their cars rather than walk and parents are naturally reluctant to let their children play in the street because of dangers associated with greater volumes of traffic. We also spend lengthy periods sitting in front of computers or the television.  In the past people lived active lifestyles often through their employment but this is no longer the case the number of individuals engaged in physically active occupations (especially agriculture) has declined considerably.  In general our lives have changed tremendously in the past 40 years and many of those changes have led us to being less active in both our work and leisure time.

Northern Ireland Physical Activity Strategy identified 70% of the adult population as physically inactive or sedentary. This has potentially serious consequences for our health putting us at risk of developing, for example coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

Being active can help to:

•  Reduce the risk of Coronary Heart Disease & Stroke
•   Reduce high blood pressure
•   Have a positive effect of mental health
•  Help to prevent obesity
•  Prevention & management of Type 2 Diabetes
•  Prevention of Osteoporosis
•   Improve Cholesterol
• Aid the prevention of some Cancers – particular bowel cancer

Obesity

Obesity is associated with many illnesses and is directly related to increased mortality and lower life expectancy. Being obese increases a person’s risk of developing coronary heart disease, cancers, stroke and diabetes.  Obese children tend to become obese adults.  Tackling obesity is a government wide priority.

Research shows that in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust Area

• In 2005 35 % of adults are overweight and 28% are obese.
• In 2006/7 19.4% children are overweight and 6.3% are obese

The Foresight “Tackling Obesities: Future Choices report 2007 indicated that by 2050 nearly 60% of the UK population could be obese.

What causes obesity?

One of the factors relating to a person becoming obese is the Energy Imbalance:

Fit Futures: Focus on food, activity & young people, 2006

It is our aim in the Southern Health & Social Care Trust Promoting Well Being Team to promote and develop local initiatives which aim to raise awareness of the importance of being active, increase the amount of daily physical activity people take in order to reduce the incidence of overweight/obese and other inactivity related health conditions and give local communities the skills needed to become more active.

You can start being physically active at any age and enjoy the benefits