Get Outdoors, Lose The Gut Says OIA
The oudoor industry is urging the government to promote the outdoors to help cut obesity and is concerned that a litigation culture is putting off youth group leaders.
Posted: 20 July 2004
by Jon
The Outdoors Industries Association is selflessly urging the
government to fight flab through outdoor recreation.
The body, which represents the British outdoors industry - doh -
and we quote 'urges the government to increase participation in
recreational activities in the outdoors in its efforts to reduce the
levels of obesity'.
It goes on to say that the great outdoors is one of the best ways
to get people to take enjoyable exercise and that 'involvement can be
virtually cost free'. All pretty much true, and steady walking is one
of the most effective ways of burning fat, but devilishly cunning at
the same time, since obviously the more walkers and climbers there
are, the greater the amount of outdoors kit to be sold.
And if some of those obese folk lose loads of weight and need
smaller Gore-Tex jackets, then we're sure the industry will be happy
to sell them...
Fear Of Litigation...
Joking aside, the OIA makes a couple of serious points:
One is that the role of schools is crucial in getting people into
the outdoors and following on from that, the OIA urges the government
to look into the worry of court action directed against volunteers
leading expeditions. Teachers, scout/guide leaders and kids' clubs
organisers are, it says, less willing to take groups into the
outdoors because of the fear of litigation.
"The lifeblood of the outdoors will be strangled,' claims OIA
Director Roger Southcott. "If kids can't get into the outdoors and
can't participate in activities, then it simply makes the message of
the need for exercise even more difficult to get across."
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