Fred Turok, chair of the Fitness Industry Association (FIA), has pledged that the health and fitness industry would double any investment made by the government to improve the nation’s health.

Speaking at the FIA’s Delivering the Public Health Strategy summit in London last night (14 May 2008), Turok said he was “depressed” to learn that 25 per cent of children entering schools are obese and that the epidemic had to be tackled head on.

“I pledge, that for every £1 this government spends on getting more people more active, more often, we will invest £2,” said Turok.

“This is not an empty pledge, it is a pledge I hope will act as a catalyst for action and one which will help this nation start to reverse the frightening public health trends we face.”

Conservative shadow secretary of state for health, Andrew Lansley MP, and his Liberal Democrat equivalent Norman Lamb – whom both attended the event – told the 140 fitness industry leaders and MPs that they welcomed and wholeheartedly supported the industry's initiative and pledged his support for it.

Lansley also expressed a wish to work closely with the industry and to invest in prevention and intervention strategies to tackle obesity and its associated lifestyle related diseases.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo, however, did not attend the summit as initially planned, citing a “last minute commitment”.