A NEW plan to encourage people across the region to be more active was signed off by the local NHS Board on Monday 11 August.
The NHS Dumfries and Galloway Board approved the multi-agency Physical Activity Strategy for Dumfries and Galloway in its meeting today. The strategy is a roadmap for various agencies to work together to help support the people of Dumfries and Galloway to be more active more often.
A third of adults and half of all school-aged children in the region are not active enough to stay healthy, the strategy notes. It covers eight areas in which physical activity could be encouraged – from sport and recreation to travel, workplaces, communications and places of education.
Valerie White, Director of Public Health, said: “The new physical activity strategy is a fantastic step forward for our local area. We have made really good progress as a region in this area but there is more to do.
“The health benefits of being physically active, including muscle strengthening, are huge, for both physical and mental health. It plays a vital role throughout our life and in particular contributes to us all ageing well. There are a lot of opportunities across the region for people to be more physically active, and information about them is available on dgdoingmore.co.uk.”
The strategy has been developed by a multi-agency team who have worked with experts from Public Health Scotland and the University of Edinburgh and will a key contribution to the local delivery of the Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework.
The Population Health Framework, published in June, focusses on improving the health of the Scottish population by creating the conditions needed to support good health and acknowledges the need for action across Government and by local partners to achieve these.
The framework sets out action across four drivers of health – Social and Economic Factors; Places and Communities; Equitable Health and Care; and Enabling Healthy Living – all underpinned by a focus on prevention.
Valerie White said: “There is much work across these areas already in Dumfries and Galloway, and strong partnerships to build on.”
The Population Health Framework is available online at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-population-health-framework/