FIA Launches Fitness Charter

The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) launched a Fitness Charter at its On the Move to 2010 Health and Fitness Summit, held recently at the House of Commons.

Leading figures from the fitness industry were encouraged to sign up to charter, which calls for a statement by the Chief Medical Officer on the health benefits of regular physical activity, supported by a sustained national awareness and information campaign.

It also asks the Treasury to conduct a detailed review of the possible health benefits of targeted fiscal incentives for participation in physical activity and said it welcomed the opportunity to work with government to pilot work in this area.

The FIA pledged to help collect evidence on the impact of health and fitness interventions, which was highlighted as being inadequate in the Dereck Wanless report and calls on the Department of Health to invest in developing such evidence.

The organisation also pledged to form a Fitness Forum, a strategic body to unite the industry and allow it to speak with one voice.

Finally, the FIA said it would increase the use of its facilities by school children and community groups, but said that the NHS should fund fitness interventions for ‘at risk’ groups, while the government should take measures to incentivise the development of voluntary and private sector physical activity facilities in areas of deprivation.