Maintaining health and treating illness through regular physical activity

The World Health Organisation has identified a lack of physical activity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, being directly implicated in 6% of deaths worldwide. Publications such as “the five year forward view”, “20/20 vision”, and the “Christie Commission” agree that increased prioritisation of effective, person-centred preventative medicine is needed to allow people to live longer, healthier lives in their communities both in the UK and worldwide.

Regular physical activity can improve academic attainment and healthy development in children and young people, improves productivity and health outcomes in young and middle aged adults, whilst maintaining functional independence in older adults. Regular physical activity helps maintain good mental and physical health, and helps prevent over 40 chronic diseases.
Physical inactivity is a highly prevalent and major public health challenge in the 21st entury.While progress has been made, and must be sustained in relation to smoking, a significant increase in the pace and scale of efforts to increase physical activity is required.