Plans in place to get Wolverhampton fitter after being ranked 12th unhealthiest

Health bosses in Wolverhampton are set to approve a new physical activity strategy designed to encourage adults and children to exercise more, after the city was ranked the 12th most unfit local authority out of 309 in England.

Recent figures revealed 30.5 per cent of the city’s adults are physically inactive – 5 per cent more than the regional average and 8.2 per cent higher than the national – prompting health and wellbeing leaders to devise a plan that will motivate more people to take up some form of regular exercise.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal (Lab. Heath Town), cabinet member for adults and wellbeing and chair of the Health and Wellbeing Together board, said: “Physical inactivity is responsible for a staggering one in six deaths in our city. If we are truly going to make a difference to life expectancy, we must find a way of helping our residents to be more active.

“Whilst we as a council have a part to play, I firmly believe that this very complex issue needs to be tackled in partnership as a city. That’s why Wolverhampton Health and Together Wellbeing board is best positioned to lead on this crucial piece of work.

“Research shows that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy levels, as well as reducing the risk of stress, depression and dementia. Being physically active is the miracle cure we’ve always had available to us, but too many people in our city are not taking their recommended dose – and their health is now suffering as a result.”

The strategy, which is designed to inspire and support adults and children to move more and build activity into their daily lives, focuses on four themes:

• Active Wulfrunians – creating a city where everyone is physically active every day and understands the benefits of being active and how to be active in a way that suits their ability.
• Active City – creating and promoting suitable activities, programmes and infrastructure, which enables residents to engage in regular physical activity that meets their needs.
• Active Spaces and Places – creating a city where community spaces are enhanced, invested in and protected, and which encourage and promote physical activity.
• Active Systems – working collaboratively as a whole system to create leadership, governance and partnerships that enable practice and protocols to promote physical activity across all sectors.

A report to from head of partnerships for public health Richard Welch said: “Wolverhampton as a city has significant health inequalities. Not only does it have lower than average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, but it also has high levels of physical inactivity. This contributes to other health inequalities and is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK.

“Physical inactivity is equal to that of smoking and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion a year. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of disease and disability in the UK and is responsible for up to 40 per cent of long-term health conditions and 30 per cent of later life functional limitations and falls. The strategy sets the direction for physical activity until 2030.”

The council’s Health and Wellbeing Together board is due to approve the strategy this Thursday (7 Dec).

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