Memorandum by the Central Council of Physical
Recreation (WP 88)
The Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR)
is the umbrella body for 270 national organisations for sport
and recreation, representing and promoting the interests of voluntary
sector sport and recreation. CCPR believes that voluntary sector
sport and recreation has a positive role to play in improving
the health of the nation, and welcomes the opportunity to submit
a memorandum to the Committee.
CCPR strongly believes that the promotion of
physical activity should be central to any government strategy
aimed at improving public health. Physical activity provides positive
messages, whereas many other public health campaigns are necessarily
centred on negative messages: "don't eat too much, don't
drink too much alcohol, smoke, take drugs", etc. Whilst these
messages are essential, physical activity has the benefit of being
a "yes" factor.
RESPONSE TO
KEY QUESTIONS
In responding to specific questions, the CCPR
has concentrated on evaluating the effectiveness of the Government's
physical activity goals, as this is where our expertise lies,
and where CCPR member organisations are best placed to deliver.
1. Whether the proposals will enable the
Government to achieve its public health goals?
— The Government has set out in the
White Paper what it plans to do with regard to meeting its physical
activity targets. The CCPR broadly supports the stated measures,
although it is difficult to tell if they will enable the Government
to achieve all of its goals in this area, as much of the detail
is still to be laid out.
— CCPR supports the Government's commitment
to "work with the sports and recreational activity sectors
to deliver positive, innovative messages about healthy lifestyles
including physical activity". However, CCPR urges that the
Government commits to a high level, national and sustained campaign
to promote physical activity in order that the desired results
are achieved. Evidence from comparator European nations suggests
that only sustained campaigns of considerable longevity can achieve
significant increases in participation. For example, government
backed sustained anti-drink driving and seat belt campaigns of
this nature have yielded significant results. CCPR also urges
that public health messages to promote physical activity be simple
and positive: ANY ACTIVITY IS BETTER THAN NONE AND THE MORE ACTIVITY
THE BETTER. CCPR believes that specific messages about intensity,
frequency and duration can be counter-productive.
— Similarly, CCPR supports the Government's
desire to resource local communities so that they can "lead
for health". CCPR feels it is particularly important that
community sport and recreation organisations, and their governing
bodies, are resourced and able to build capacity in order that
they can deliver in local settings.
— CCPR feels it is crucial that assistance
is offered for sport and recreation organisations to forge links
with local health networks and PCTs. If this is achieved, sporting
organisations' experience and coaching expertise can be utilised
to meet local health needs. This kind of partnership is also vital
for achieving value for money in public health policy. Many of
the organisations in CCPR's membership offer activity opportunities
which reap significant health benefits. These organisations also
offer inclusive settings in which to be active, successfully target
traditionally "hard to reach" populations (for example
young girls and older women engaging in movement and dance activities)
in neighbourhood locations and have excellent retention rates.
These organisations are well governed, offer an established structure
and system for participation and have well trained and qualified
coaches/trainers. Sport and recreation organisations thus have
much to offer in the development of public health activity solutions.
They are excellent value for money because they are already well
established. CCPR urges that the national governing bodies of
sport and recreation are resourced to join up with health services
at local and regional levels, so that they can increase their
ability to deliver in health settings. CCPR believes that this
strategy would offer a "good buy" and value for money
in public health terms.
— The Government has stated that the
Activity Coordination Team (ACT) will publish a Delivery Strategy
for the public health White Paper early in 2005. The CCPR has
been disappointed to date with the progress of ACT in achieving
the "joined-up action on physical activity" that it
was established to deliver. ACT was originally charged with publishing
a Delivery Strategy in April 2004. This was delayed as a result
of the Choosing Health Consultation and the Team appears to have
achieved few concrete outcomes. Therefore, CCPR urges that the
work of ACT be monitored closely on value and effectiveness.
2. Whether the proposals are appropriate,
will be effective and whether they represent value for money?
— CCPR broadly believes that the Government's
proposals are appropriate and that is it necessary to pursue a
multi-faceted public health approach to combating the problems
of overweight and obesity. It is important that activity is recognised
as a crucial part of the solution and activity organisations are
resourced to this end. CCPR encourages the Government to implement
its stated proposals with urgency in order that they are effective
in the short to medium term. The severity of the obesity "epidemic",
particularly amongst children and young people, requires a rapid
response.
— There is clear evidence that those
who have a good experience of physical education from an early
age are more likely to remain active in later life. We believe
that ensuring all young people have an enjoyable experience of
physical education represents value for money in public health
terms, because engendering an appreciation for physical education
and physical activity from a young age contributes to the long
term health of individuals. CCPR is supportive of the investment
into the school sport system and feels this will make a positive
difference to young people's experiences of physical education.
CCPR also supports the recent announcement to increase school
pupils' entitlement to two hours physical education within the
school curriculum by 2010, plus a further two to three hours beyond
curriculum time. A commitment to physical education within the
curriculum is key because it is the ONLY way of ensuring that
every pupil receives their physical education entitlement.
— CCPR believes more can be done in
this area so that the Government more effectively reaches its
public health goals and maximises value for money. CCPR believes
the Government should require a minimum of 30 hours' initial training
in physical education for all primary school teachers. This would
equip primary school teachers with the confidence and skills to
teach high quality programmes covering the breadth of the of physical
education national curriculum.
— CCPR also feels that positive physical
activity experiences should be guaranteed to those of pre-school
age. CCPR supports the Children Act's requirement for local authorities
to make provision for children's recreation. The Children Act
makes provision for children's centres in every community and
for universal childcare in a range of settings. CCPR feels this
is an excellent opportunity to instil physical activity habits
early, and thus that an adequate understanding of movement and
physical activity should be part of the core training of the childcare
workforce. CCPR also advocates inspection of provision for physical
activity within childcare settings.
— CCPR, in collaboration with the professional
physical education organisations, has recently published a Physical
Education Declaration, following the National Summit on Physical
Education held on 24 January 2005. The Declaration makes further
recommendations with regard to the provision of high quality physical
education and a copy of the Declaration is attached to this memorandum.
[162]
— The CCPR supports the Child Growth
Foundation's view that the BMI of young people should be regularly
monitored. Whilst agreeing with many medical professionals and
public health specialists that BMI is an imperfect means of measurement,
CCPR feels that at a time of sharply rising rates of overweight
and obesity, regular monitoring of young people would be a useful
intervention. This intervention should be linked to and result
in the development of suitable activity and educational programmes
and the provision of dietary advice, provided to children and
parents.
— CCPR recommends that the Government
focuses on the provision of activity opportunities and infrastructure
in further and higher education, as well as in school settings,
in order to influence the large percentage of the 16-19 and 18-21
age ranges in these institutions.
It is worth noting that the single biggest influence
in activity participation figures in recent years, that of an
increasing number of young women remaining active for longer,
is linked to the increased number of females engaged in higher
education. It is therefore appropriate to invest in facilities
and programmes of activity in both further and higher education
as a way of capturing more young people and encouraging them to
become, and to remain, active.
— CCPR is disappointed at the lack
of focus on getting older people active, reflected in the White
Paper. Current population demographics highlight the need to target
older people as well as the young in activity programmes and initiatives.
CCPR is working in collaboration with several other agencies to
promote activity within older populations and to raise the profile
of older people in public health policy debate. A formal coalition
of organisations promoting Active Aging is due to be launched
shortly.
3. Whether the necessary public health infrastructure
and mechanisms exist to ensure that proposals will be implemented
and goals achieved?
— CCPR believes that at present, there
is a chronic lack of investment in infrastructure at local and
regional level to facilitate sport and recreation organisations
to link up with health networks. Some organisations in CCPR membership
are already carrying out excellent work with local health partners
to provide activity and sporting opportunities for local people.
Much of this good practice happens because of the hard work of
talented and committed sports workers, paid and unpaid, but exists
in isolation and is vulnerable to personnel and funding alterations.
We are concerned that much of this work will not be sustainable,
nor will it be possible to mainstream many of the programmes,
without infrastructure and capacity building. Similarly, those
involving health promotion through physical activity require a
communication and support network to help them consult with each
other and share good practice.
The CCPR believes that the Government should
prioritise the provision of resources to aid the development of
this infrastructure.
January 2005
162 Not printed. Back
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