Re your report (Record 3.7m workers in England will have major illness by 2040, study finds, 17 April), what is so tragic about these findings is that many long-term conditions can be prevented through a less sedentary lifestyle. Our latest data from the Healthier Nation Index highlights that the UK is facing a crisis of inactivity, with implications for our health, economy and future generations.
Three in four people are still not reaching the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, and fewer than two in five recognise that exercise can cut their risk of developing cancer and heart disease by 50%. In other words, 75% of us are storing up avoidable health problems for the future.
What’s needed is for all major political parties to commit to a national movement strategy, to promote physical activity and embed movement into every aspect of society, so benefiting the nation’s health and economic wellbeing. As the former chief medical officer Sally Davies once said: “If physical activity were a drug, we’d talk about it as a miracle cure.”
Dr Davina Deniszczyc
Medical and charity director, Nuffield Health