Getting Northern Ireland active

A major campaign was launched today to improve health in Northern Ireland by getting people to be more active. The campaign, which will hopefully grab everyone's attention, is particularly focused on those who are over 40 years old and currently take little or no exercise.

The £180,000 public information campaign includes television, radio and billboard poster site advertising and a community grants scheme to promote the message 'get a life get active'. Alongside the central message that physical activity is good for your health, the campaign focuses on the fact that being active includes enjoying putting a little extra effort into everyday activities and is not necessarily about being sporty or athletic.

In addition to the advertising campaign, the Agency is encouraging members of communities across Northern Ireland to get involved in all kinds of physical activity. To support them in their efforts the Agency has been working with Disability Action and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) to award a number of small grants to enable groups to get active together.

Research has shown that regular exercise can positively improve health and help prevent serious illnesses such as heart disease. Yet 80% of women and 70% of men in Northern Ireland do not take enough physical activity to benefit their health. Research also shows that two thirds of the population aged 65 or more do no physical activity at all.

These figures were revealed by the Health Promotion Agency during the launch of the Northern Ireland Physical Activity Campaign.

Frank Kelly, Physical Activity Programme Manager with the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, said: "It's time for everyone to take physical activity seriously. As well as the immediate benefits of feeling good and having more energy, it is an investment in a healthy, independent future.

"We were delighted with the interest in the community grant scheme. More than 200 organisations from all over Northern Ireland responded and 79 were successful in their application. "It is important to involve community groups with this campaign. The activities organised as part of the grant scheme will mean that more people from a range of backgrounds will get the opportunity to become more active.

"The campaign emphasises that it is more beneficial to do thirty minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week rather than a vigorous workout once a week. Physical activity includes things such as brisk walking, gardening - even housework if enough effort is put into it!" said Frank.

Lack of physical activity is now considered a major risk factor in relation to developing coronary heart disease. Increased levels of physical activity can help control body weight and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, bowel cancer, and osteoporosis. Physical activity is critically important for older people as a means of remaining mobile and therefore independent as they get older.

Research shows that activity declines sharply as people get older. The Northern Ireland Health and Activity Survey revealed that one in ten people aged 16-24 was inactive and this increased to five out of ten people aged
65-74. The advertising campaign will run during the month of June and community initiatives will be ongoing until September.

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