Campaigning to get more people, more active, more often  

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10,000 steps 
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Three in every four people in the UK population aren't active enough to protect themselves against illness such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.



In Spring 2004 the Chief Medical Officer released his first ever report on the risk of being inactive. It will include:
  • One in three deaths in the UK are due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Daily exercise approximately halves the risk of developing and dying from CVD.
  • The number of people classed as 'obese' is projected to rise to one in four of all adults in the UK by 2010 (this is the current rate in the US). Obesity is linked to diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure and premature death. Obesity is estimated to cost the NHS at least £0.5 billion a year and in excess of £2 billion to society in England.
  • 1.4 million people in the UK have diabetes. This is expected to rise to 3 million by 2010, largely due to lifestyle factors including lack of exercise, poor diet and associated weight gain. Obesity is leading to more and more people developing type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes at a younger age, even during childhood. Exercise can help to protect against the development of this disease.
  • One in three of the UK population will get cancer. Two-thirds of cancers are linked to lifestyle factors, such as diet, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Being physically active can reduce the risk of dying from some cancers by a quarter.
  • One in four of the UK population will at some point suffer from mental illness, typically depression. Mounting evidence shows that exercise can help to relieve moderate and more severe depression.
  • There is good evidence that being physically active provides therapeutic effects for low back pain, osteoarthritis and protective effects for osteoporosis.