How sport helps fight illness

A £1.3MILLION National Lottery grant will be used to fund sporting projects to help prevent and manage long-term health problems such as diabetes, lung disease and mental illness, it was announced yesterday.

More than 15 million people in England (a third of the population) live with one or more common long-term health conditions and are much less likely to enjoy physical exercise as a result.

They experience more barriers to being active, from physical symptoms such as pain, tiredness and breathlessness, to a fear of injuring themselves.

But regular moderate activities such as walking briskly, swimming and cycling have been shown to help prevent and manage more than 20 chronic conditions.

These include coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental health problems and musculoskeletal conditions.

Even small increases in physical activity can have a positive effect.

Beneficial

Studies have shown that physical activity can help people with multiple sclerosis benefit from improved muscle function, aerobic fitness, mobility and a better quality of life.

Now Sport England and eight other charities are collaborating to help people with a range of health conditions benefit from becoming more active.

Some projects will be focusing on providing better practical support, advice and guidance on how to be active such as a telephone health coaching service, new guides, or offering activity within peer-to-peer support group sessions.

Others will conduct more research into the barriers which prevent people from being active regularly, so more appropriate support can be given.

Alzheimer’s Society, for example, will develop a Dementia Friendly Guide that will provide the sport and leisure sector with resources and knowledge to enable their organisations to become more “dementia friendly” and support more people with dementia to become physically active.

Meanwhile, the British Lung Foundation plans to develop a telephone health coaching service to encourage those with lung conditions to exercise.

Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, a non-departmental public body which invests £300million a year in sport, said: “Exercising when you have a long-term health condition can be hugely beneficial to your mental and physical wellbeing, but it can also be daunting.

“We want to help people answer those questions they might have about which activities are suitable, or how much exercise they should do for example.

“We are committed to sharing what we learn about how to help people get active, and think this has real potential to help people lead happy, healthier lives.”