New campaign encourages people to get more active

For a fuller life, get physical. That is the message Ministers hope people will embrace north and south of the Border.

The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, and his Stormont counterpart, Ms Bairbre de Brun, launched the public awareness campaign, Get A Life, Get Active, at an event in Dublin yesterday.

Mr Martin said it was clear that maintaining a healthy heart and body through healthy lifestyles must become part of daily life. He stressed the fact that two-thirds of Irish people were now at increased risk from heart disease and other serious illnesses.

"Evidence suggests that three of the main lifestyle risk factors that increase risk of heart disease are smoking, unhealthy eating and inactivity," he said.

Ms de Brun said physical activity was just as important for good health as the reduction of serum cholesterol, the reduction of high blood pressure and stopping smoking.

"Regular exercise can reduce heart disease by one-third, stroke by a quarter, non-insulin dependent diabetes by a quarter and hip fractures in the elderly by a half."

She said research in the North indicated that seven out of every 10 men and eight out of every 10 women did not take enough exercise, while Mr Martin said one in four people in this State were not taking enough exercise.

A recent North/South food-consumption survey underlined these figures, its findings being that people spent on average 19 hours a week watching television compared to seven hours of recreational activity and one hour of vigorous activity.

The campaign of television and radio advertising and leaflets was developed by the Health Promotion Agency in the North. It is being undertaken in the South in association with the Irish Heart Foundation.