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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to tackle obesity levels through increasing participation in sport and physical activity; and if he will make a statement. [123911] Miss Melanie Johnson: Considerable action is being taken across Government to tackle obesity levels, especially through increasing physical activity and improving diet. The Government have recently set a challenging target for 70 per cent. of the population to be active by 2020. To ensure that there is a co-ordinated and strategic approach to the planning and delivery of sport and physical activity across a diverse range of sectors-- such as transport, countryside management and town planning--and in response to this target, a Sport and Physical Activity Board (SPAB) has been established. The SPAB, jointly led by the Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport and supported by a dedicated delivery team, met for the first time on 8 July 2003. Another key project in our programme of work are the local exercise action pilots (LEAPs), which we jointly fund with Sport England and the Countryside Agency. LEAPs will test the effectiveness of primary care trust-led interventions to increase access and levels of physical activity in communities based in neighbourhood renewal areas. Involving a range of partners, the activities range from walking, cycling and swimming, to clinical-based programmes that are focusing on diabetes and weight management.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

409 c236W; 123911

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Health education Pilot schemes Standards Exercise Sports Obesity Activity Coordination Team

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk