News

Transport policy changes needed to fight heart disease

The time is right for a ‘sustainable culture shift’ towards policies which discourage our dependence on the car and encourage physical activity, says the National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Prevention.

Responding to the Department of Health’s phyical activity task force paper More people, more active, more often, the forum calls for a national strategy co-ordinated by a cabinet committee, with walking and cycling at the centre of the culture shift.

It points to the recent convergence of public policies on environment, transport and health as offering ‘enormous potential’ for promoting a healthier population.

About 40 per cent of all car journeys are under two miles, yet car owners are among those least likely to walk.

‘Physical activity is the forgotten factor in combating coronary heart disease’, said Professor Gerry Shaper, chair of the national forum.

Children should be a priority group for promoting activity, with large numbers now showing signs of obesity. The forum suggests that National Lottery money could be used to fund—and maintain—safe cycleways.