https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53541866
Surgeries will provide access to bikes and ministers are promising local cycling infrastructure will be improved.
It's an interesting idea and great if our cycling infrastructure is improved sensibly but I get the feeling that it's just another flash in the pan idea that will probably vanish in the months to come.
I've always been sceptical about the lunchbox police & taxes/bans on food adverts and thought that diet was a secondary issue to activity levels. What do folk think?
I've long said we should be encouraged to exercise. I do a few things because I enjoy them and it's good for my health but there is quite a cost and effort that I'm sure would put a lot of people off. I'd like to see more funding for leisure centres and more free facilities (sports courts in parks, and obviously bike trails). Knowing this government we'll get some sound-bites and no actual money.
If this does happen how do I get my GP to prescribe a 12 week course of sessions at Bike Park Wales?
You can't exercise away a bad diet, although the bike on prescription is only part of the proposal if you read beyond the headline.
I ride 100 miles a week and I'm at least a stone overweight, and as a 51 year old male, Covid is making me face some uncomfortable truths about my eating habits and lifestyle.
Could be some opportunities for BC's Ride Social and other groups to help introduce people to riding though. More people on bikes might increase awareness of the problems of riding on the road and lack of infrastructure in places.
GPs prescribing exercise has a limited amount of evidence so it looks like a ‘headline-grabber’.
Excess calorie intake is the primary driver of obesity not activity levels so any intervention to moderate overall calorie intake will be of benefit. Deprivation and poverty are strongly associated with childhood obesity for a number of reasons so tackling these health inequalities would be more effective at a population level than prescribing cycling. This Govt hasn’t a great record on tackling childhood poverty - it’s worse and predicted to get even worse. Tax and minimum pricing has been shown effective at reducing consumption of the wrong sorts of food eg alcohol. Big fan of better labelling. Sat in front of a loaf of bread at the moment and there are x33 figures on the nutritional information chart and its mind boggling - who knows whether it’s good or bad for me?
Trouble with all this is, as soon as the government start sponsoring an initiative, the price of that product goes up, the cycling industry will be no different
Gimmick
Build safe protected cycle tracks and make it harder for cars to drive through communities.
There's going to be some meltdowns in Southampton, some obese drivers are going nuts about all the newly constructed bus and cycle lanes around the city! 😆
The energy input output thing is a weird one. It looks like we use to eat more calories in the past. But were thinner.
Load a bunch of fat biffers onto some rusting, badly set-up BSOs chained up outside a surgery then wave them off into the traffic...it might just work...
It has all the potential to reduce the average obesity rate. Between heart attacks from exercise and cars it should thin the herd a little
If the government were serious about improving safety for cyclists they would bring in presumed liability.
But that would cause a gammon driver meltdown, so it will never happen.
This is a solid idea and it seems churlish to complain that X, Y or Z could have been done instead when this is clearly a public health-driven move - and set up hastily at that.
There are more good things in the article, the cycling is just what they've pulled out for the headline.
thought that diet was a secondary issue to activity levels. What do folk think?
I think you're way off target with that idea. A healthy diet and modest amounts of light exercise is much better for your health than crap diet and massive amounts of exercise. Keep in mind that being strong and fit doesn't mean you are healthy.
My guess is they have a few headlines and will spend a tiny amount of money for a few photo ops, then no more money and the initiative will slowly fade into nothing. Telling people to excercise and taking the food away from them is not a vote winner.
Measures like making fast food outlets supply calorie counts are very sensible, and obviously not expensive.
As with any behaviour change, the individuals do actually need to want to change - but many actually do - and if it can be made easier for them at the same time as getting people out of cars and on bikes, that's a win-win.
Cooking lessons and advice on food purchases would be good too.all of the people on the deprived type shows on tv buy loads of chips and cheap fatty foods instead of say pasta and tuna. I reckon decent food does not need to be expensive.frozen veggies are cheap.
This bit caught my eye:
"...ministers are promising local cycling infrastructure will be improved.
This may include segregated cycle lanes, low traffic neighbourhoods and secure cycle parking".
Well let's see shall we?
The point of getting people out on bikes is not that the little exercise they do on them will transform their physiques, but that a taste of an enjoyable activity like that may make you want to get better at it by being lighter, and that may drive other lifestyle changes.
Still don't expect anything to actually change, mind you!
Not sure exactly what you mean, but change is inevitable, Martin. In the long run anyway.
Obesity is now being viewed in the same terms as smoking or drink-driving.
Covid has leveraged it up the public health agenda and freed up funds and political will, so change will now happen quicker than it would have without the pandemic.
Hopefully.
Hopefully, as you say.
My cynicism says that any funds freed up now will be the first to melt away when the economic shit hits the fan in the near future.
I think it's a great overall strategy and the government are brave implementing it.not sure where they are getting all of the bikes from though what with shortages.maybe they are hire bikes or you get a loan or grant for one.
This is great news in Scotland. Free prescriptions! I wonder what sort of bike they will give you.
.not sure where they are getting all of the bikes from though what with shortages.
China
Definitely a conspiracy 😀
Sports provision and local transport are funded through local councils. Given the massive austerity cuts to local authority budgets since 2010, increased social care and resilience costs due to COVID, a likely drop in business rates due to impact of COVID and just can’t see how they can square that circle unless Rishi’s growing some more magic money trees? Empty words I expect, or enough to buy a tin of white paint for some cycle lanes...
Has anyone told GPs?
Probably not. It's just more headline grabbing, attention-diverting drivel.
Gimmick
Yup.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Weren't they going to be "prescribing" gym membership a few years ago?
Considering more government effort has gone in to coaxing us all down the boozer recently, something tells me the current lot care not a jot about the prole's BMI...
The focus is shifting from austerity to "patriotic consumerism" and the overweight can do their bit and generate tax revenue from the food they eat, the vehicles/fuel they use in lieu of walking and the WW/gym memberships they take up and see little benefit from, people being overweight is ecconomically beneficial...
Would it be along the lines of:
"I'm going to prescribe you a 6 month course of cycling. 2 months of a Brompton for general use 3 times a day before meals, 2 months of 700c hybrid twice a day meals to be eaten on the go, followed by two months of intensive bike packing."
❓
Has anyone told GPs?
I heard about it on here...
Like I heard about us giving flu jabs to everyone over 50 on the radio... we ordered our supply of flu jabs for this winter back in February...
