Today is the third in our eight part series looking at the eight Action Areas identified in the National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland.
The eight areas have been given 60 items on which progress will be measured and monitored so as to drive at a 1% annual increase in people meeting the national recommended physical activity guideline of 60 minutes for children and 30 minutes a day for adults, and to reduce by 0.5% a year the numbers of sedentary people who do not take any physical activity. The eight areas are:
- Public Awareness, Education and Communication
- Children and Young People
- Health
- Environment
- Workplaces
- Sport and physical activity in the community
- Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Implementation through partnership
“The health service has a pivotal role to play in the promotion of physical activity through ensuring greater awareness and understanding of the role activity plays as part of a healthy lifestyle and in delivering programmes which promote, educate, support and encourage physical activity generally.”
It is self evident that medical practitioners should be central to the health benefits of activity and yet common sense can often be remarkable in being less common than we imagine.
The third section of the National Physical Activity Plan talks about creating a mind shift within the system and of raising physical activity much further up the list of alternative or additional treatment options.
There are specific pilot projects outlines among the action items covering the development and implementation of a referral network for activity which could see physical fitness trainers as an option along the same lines as hospital consultants.
There will be four specific areas piloting a new physical activity plan as part a a national healthy cities and counties network.
There is also an objective to include physical activity levels in risk factor screening. That makes perfect sense alongside questions of smoking and drinking behaviour and will be part of an overall increase in peoples awareness of the importance of being and staying active as the best possible form of preventative medicine.
There is also an emphasis on the HSE and healthcare as a major employer and the review and development of programmes of activity in the workplace that can and should be used as a clear example of best practice.
“Physician heal thyself” is not a bad way too get the rest of us thinking.
Join us tomorrow when we will be looking at way in which the built and natural environment can be used to promote physical activity.
