Issue 33 Autumn 2012 - Bases

Nanette’s notesProf Nanette Mutrie FBASES is The Sportand Exercise Scientist’s exclusive physicalactivity for health columnistThe Lancet series on physical activity forhealth - a new source of evidence that willmake us think again.The Lancet is one of the world’s leadingmedical journals with an impact factor of 38 andalmost 200 years of publication history. In thattime less than 50 original articles with the wordsphysical activity in the title have been publishedin the Lancet. Until July 2012 perhaps the mostnotable Lancet article was that written by JeremyMorris in 1953 in which he pointed out thatLondon bus conductors were at lower risk ofcardiovascular disease than their much less activecolleagues – the drivers of the buses. That articlewas the foundation of the following half centuryof work that has now resulted in a Lancet seriesrelating to physical activity for health, which hasjust been published to coincide with the hostingof the Olympic Games. This will become themajor point of reference for everyone teachingand researching in this area or those makingthe case to government or local authorities orschools or hospitals about the role of physicalactivity for health. The editor of the Lancet hasbeen bold enough to call lack of physical activitya ‘pandemic’ health concern and this quoteappears on the front cover:Acknowledgement: Many thanks toNanette as this is her final column afterfour issues. Dr Charlie Foster will betaking over. Charlie is a Senior Lecturer/Researcher at the University of Oxfordwhere he has been a member ofthe British Heart Foundation HealthPromotion Research Group since 1998.He ran a research programme, fundedby the BHF, to improve the evidencebase for physical activity promotion.He was a co-author on the current UKphysical activity guidelines, published in2011 (Start Active, Stay Active: A reporton physical activity from the four homecountries).Further readingDas, P. & Horton, R. (2012).Rethinking our approach to physicalactivity. The Lancet, 380 (9838), 189-190.Morris, J.N., Heady, J.A., Raffle,P.A.B., Roberts, C.G. & Parks,J.W. (1953). Coronary heart diseaseand physical activity of work. The Lancet, ii,1053-1057, 1111-1120.words: Prof Nanette Mutrie FBASESChair of Physical Activity for Health,University of Edinburgh, Nanette.mutrie@ed.ac.uk“In view of the prevalence, global reach,and health effect of physical inactivity, theissue should be appropriately described aspandemic, with far-reaching health, economic,environmental, and social consequences.”The series includes editorial commentaryand research articles with new global evidenceon the risks of inactivity, reviews of interventions,the uses of technology and issues relating tosurveillance. The series calls for us to re-thinkour approach to physical activity. I will leave youwith this quote from the editors that must makeall sport and exercise scientists think again abouttheir approaches:“This Series on physical activity is notabout sport and it is about more than justexercise. It is about the relationship betweenhuman beings and their environment, and aboutimproving human wellbeing by strengtheningthat relationship. It is not about running on atreadmill, whilst staring at a mirror and listeningto your iPod. It is about using the body that wehave in the way it was designed, which is to walkoften, run sometimes, and move in ways wherewe physically exert ourselves regularly whetherthat is at work, at home, in transport to and fromplaces, or during leisure time in our daily lives.”The Sport and Exercise Scientist n Issue 33 n Autumn 2012 n www.bases.org.uk29