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Dept of Health

Answer

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what local action to tackle obesity and increase physical activity entails, as mentioned in his Department's press release of 12 December 2002, Improving the Nation's Health: Government to produce food and action plan. [89354] Ms Blears: Local action to tackle obesity and increase physical activity is being taken forward as part of the national service framework for coronary heart disease (NSF CHD) and the NHS Plan. Standard One of the NSF CHD required all national health service bodies to have agreed and be contributing to the delivery of a local programme of effective policies on increasing physical activity and reducing overweight and obesity, and have quantified data on the programme. Examples of local action to tackle obesity and increase physical activity include initiatives in the primary care setting such as weight management clinics, exercise referral schemes, workplace interventions, and school based projects on diet and exercise which are being taken forward through the healthy schools programme. Together with Sport England and the Countryside Agency, the Department is developing a £2.6 million programme of local exercise action pilots to investigate effective approaches to increasing physical activity, the results of which will inform and lead action on exercise across the NHS.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

89354; 398 c125W;398 c126W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Diets Health services Health education Heart diseases NHS Pilot schemes Obesity Schools Exercise

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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