by Adam Brimelow, Health and Science correspondent
I spend a lot of time reporting on the devastating impact of problems such as obesity, smoking and excessive drinking. By comparison the threat posed by inactivity gets a lot less airtime, even though it leads to millions of deaths around the world every year from heart disease, cancer and diabetes*.
It's been called the ‘Inactivity Timebomb’ by the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Official figures from the Department of Health show about a quarter of men and half of women are missing the government's target for activity.
However, these are self-reported. Research monitoring peoples’ movements electronically, published by the British Heart Foundation, found only one in 25 of women, and one in 15 men were meeting the mark.
We often like to think of ourselves as a sporting nation. We certainly produce a lot of champions, coming in third place in the 2012 Olympic medal table. But when it comes to activity levels we’re down near the bottom of the chart*.
Research published in the Lancet suggests lack of exercise kills as many people as smoking*. As well as increasing peoples' chances of conditions such as heart disease and obesity, inactivity can affect peoples' mental health and increase stress.
The centre for Economics and Business Research found physical inactivity among today's 11-25 year olds will cost the UK economy more than £53bn over their lifetimes.
On 5 live’s Afternoon Edition on 13 October, Dan and Sarah will speak to double world champion 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu and discuss why Britain stopped moving; the damage it’s causing and what we can do about it. Also, there will be a focus on a scheme that’s generated a new type of pester-power; one where children demand to be taken for a walk.
*Sourced from a series of reports on inactivity in The Lancet medical journal in 2012.
