§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research he has commissioned into the use of sport and exercise in tackling obesity; [58309]
(2) what he is doing to promote sport and exercise for health purposes; and if he will make a statement on the role of sport and exercise in tackling obesity. [58310]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 21 May 2002]Both physical activity and eating habits play a role in overweight and obesity. We have put in place major cross Government programmes of work to improve access to opportunities to participate in a wide range of physical and sporting activities. This includes £581 million from the New Opportunities Fund for a physical education and sports programme. We recently announced the launch of a new £2.5 million programme on access to physical activity, which is being developed with Sport England and the Countryside Agency. The work forms part of a partnership between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Health.
This programme will support local strategies on promoting physical activity and reducing overweight and obesity which are already being developed as part of the national service framework for coronary heart disease.
The National Audit Office report "Tackling Obesity in England", published last year, looked into the prevalence and costs of obesity, and the causes of the problem. The report highlighted that changes in eating patterns and increasingly sedentary lifestyles are the main reasons for the rising trend in obesity.
689W There is on-going research of £1.1 million via the health technology assessment programme. This includes evaluation of randomised trials on exercise, exercise referral schemes and the cost-effectiveness of supervised exercise programmes in patient management.