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In this Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (2001) document, the authors state that;
"Physical activity is widely accepted as being beneficial to health. However only a minority of the UK population achieves recommended levels of physical activity and levels have declined in recent years. This briefing describes the health benefits of physical activity, looks at trends in activity levels among the UK population and examines policy options for encouraging people to be physically active more frequently.
Given the health benefits associated with physical activity, many see a need for a national strategy to encourage people to be more physically active. For instance, the NAO recommended that the "Department of Health should lead the development of a new cross- Government strategy to promote the health benefits of physical activity". This is supported by groups such as the NHF, Health Development Agency, and the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences, all of which argue that such a strategy would save lives and improve the health of the nation, while carrying significant costsavings."
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