Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine supports first National Physical Activity Plan
The Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine in Ireland (FSEM) (RCSI and RCPI) yesterday welcomed the release of the first ever National Physical Activity Plan launched by Government.
The key target of the National Physical Activity Plan is to increase the number of people taking regular exercise by 1% a year over 10 years – by making exercise a normal part of everyday life and giving people more opportunities to be active.
The World Health Organisation has identified a lack of physical activity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, directly implicated in 6% of deaths worldwide. Approximately 3.2 million deaths each year are attributable to insufficient physical activity. It is increasingly accepted that as a society and as healthcare professionals, we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to create health and prevent disease by promoting exercise, in parallel to treating illness.
In this context, the mission of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) is to:
- Promote a healthy and active lifestyle in the general population
- Protecting the physical and mental health and ensuring the well-being of all who are engaged in sports, exercise and physical activity
- Guiding and Supporting National Sports Medicine Federations
Commenting on the plan Padraig Sheeran, Dean of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) said: “Whilst the FSEM has been engaging on a range of activities including Physical Activity plans for teenagers with and without chronic disease (e.g. Kilimanjaro Achievers Scoliosis Climbers 2015, Irish Healthcare Awards 2015), it is only with wide ranging initiatives that real change will be achieved. As health professionals with a strong interest in sports and exercise, we would like to congratulate the Government on this Plan, and hope to work with the various departments and implementation group to achieve the targets set out in the overall plan.”
The Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, RCPI and RCSI, which was founded in 2002, is a joint faculty between the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
