1. APPG on Cycling 26th February 2019
Promotion of cycling to improve health and wellbeing Dr Mike Brannan National Lead for Physical Activity, PHE
APPG on Cycling
26th February 2019

2. Inactivity is killing us
Image © Shutterstock
Inactivity is killing us
1 in 3 (34%) men and almost 1 in 2 (42% women not active enough for good health
20% less active since 1960s (35% by 2030)
Physical inactivity is responsible for:
1 in 6 UK deaths
Up to 40% of many long-term conditions
Around 30% of later life functional limitation and falls
Estimated £7.4 billion annual cost
Physical inactivity is not a new issue. Over the last few decades trends such as increased car ownership and use, reduced manual element of jobs and increased home-based entertainment has designed physical activity out of people’s lives and we are the first generation that needs to make a proactive choice to be physically active.
We know that since the 1960s we are:
Over 20% less active,
By 2030 we are projected to be 35% less active
An estimated £7.4 billion annual cost to UK. This is likely to be an underestimate and is based on calculations of:
1 in 6 UK deaths can be attributed to insufficient levels of physical activity - This makes it as dangerous as smoking
Up to 40% of many common conditions such as diabetes could be prevented if people were more physically active
Estimated £7.4 billion annual cost to UK, based on estimates of:
£0.9bn in costs to the NHS
£6.5bn in non-NHS costs - £5.5 billion from sickness absence and £1 billion from premature death of people of working age
Health Survey for England 2016; Ng SW , Popkin B (2012); Lee I-M, et al. (2012); Wen CP, Wu X (2012); WHO (2010); Ossa D & Hutton J (2002); Murray et al. (2013)

3. Prioritising cycling & walking
One of seven “best investments” to increase population level physical activity
Prioritised for increasing physical activity & health
UK CMOs’ guidance
National physical activity framework
National Sport Strategy
WHO Global Action Plan
Key intervention in Richmond Group of Charities’ PROMISE study to achieve WHO ‘25 by 25’ goal

4. Health benefits of active travel
Modal benefits of cycling & walking for individuals, communities and health and care system
Benefits include:
Improved metabolic health and a reduced risk of premature mortality
Reduction in the risk factors for many LTCs (e.g. cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, some cancers, type II diabetes)
Positive effects on mental health and general well-being
Reduction in pollution & road congestion (due to reduced car use)
Health benefits outweigh health risks and harms (e.g. from injury or pollution)
PHE (2019) Cycling and walking for individual and population health benefits.

5. Everybody Active, Every Day: The national framework for action
Active Society
Moving Professionals
Moving at scale
Active environments
As the statutory leader of the public health system at national and local level, PHE has worked with over 1,000 national and local stakeholders to coproduce the Everybody Active Every Day framework. It consolidates international evidence on ‘what works’ into a single cohesive framework across sectors and levels for increasing physical activity in England.
It supports local leaders (e.g. Health and Wellbeing Boards, local authorities, NHS clinical commissioning groups, voluntary sector, private sector) to reframe, refocus and provide leadership on physical activity on:
Cross-sector partnership
Industrial scale action across the whole system
Focus on addressing inactivity as well as increasing physical activity to health enhancing levels – as we now that the greatest gains are in getting people who are ‘inactive’ – doing less than 30 minutes per week of exercise – just to become active irrespective of whether they achieve 150 minutes per week.
The overarching vision of ‘Everybody Active Every Day’ summarises the guidance of the UK Chief Medical Officer:
The most effective way to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity for good health is by embedding physical activity in daily life; and
Physical activity is needed by and should be the expectation for everyone. Irrespective of age, disability economic or any other factor we all need to be supported to be active and have a healthy, happy life.
The vision is supported by four domains for national and local actions which are set out in the following slides with actions that NHS providers should take as part of this whole system approach.
Public Health England (2014) Everybody Active Every Day.

6. Support for healthcare system
Infographics on UK CMOs guidance
Include cycling as recommendation
Preventative interventions guidance for STPs
Physical activity and active travel promoted as a cost effective intervention (e.g. active travel plans with local activation, workplace support)
Moving Healthcare Professionals programme
Increasing knowledge, skills and changing practice of HCPs to embedding physical activity in clinical care
Evidence review on cycling and walking for individual, community and health and social care systems

7. Resources for planners
Transport
Infrastructure for walking and cycling
Encourage use public transp.
Promote sustainable transport infrastructure
Prioritise pedestrians and cyclists
Traffic calming measures
Prioritise active travel and road safety
Active travel to work and school
Access to recreational space
Enable mobility for all ages

8. Whole systems approaches to obesity
Aim = Produce national guidance on how to set up and implement a local whole systems approach to tackling obesity
Multi-phase process led by Leeds Beckett University:
4 Pilot LAs - co-production phase
7 Test LAs – testing phase
80+ LAs – reviewing phase
Guidance for Publication – early summer 2019
Sharing findings to support Obesity Trailblazers and Sport England Local Delivery Pilots
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Original Pilots
Additional LAs

9. Summary
Cycling are walking are the easiest ways to embed physical activity in daily life and achieve recommended activity levels for health and wellbeing benefits
PHE is supporting action on:
Active society (e.g. Change4Life, One You)
Moving professionals (e.g. healthcare, education)
Active environments (e.g. resources for planners)
Evidence-based approaches (e.g. data, reviews)