Strength and Weaknesses of 3 Government Schemes - Essay Example

Strength and Weaknesses of 3 Government Schemes Physical exercises are good way to maintain healthy body and can reduce the risk of getting diseases. However, there are many who do not meet the recommended level of physical exercise, according to the BHF (British Heart Foundation) 45% of men in Scotland reported meeting recommended levels of physical activity, compared to 39% in England, 37% in Wales and 33 % in Northern Ireland. Governments try to solve some public problems by schemes and this essay will mention the advantages and the disadvantages of three physical activities schemes. Two schemes out of the three were made by the British government and the third scheme was done by European country. The first scheme is from the UK which is creating an active Wales. It is a plan to make citizens of Wales be more physically active than before. One of the contentions that has used in the development of such a strategy is the fact that people who are physically active reduce their levels of contracting a chronic disease by 50%. This would hence lead to lesser numbers or cases of chronic ailments being contracted by the sick people in these states. Secondly, active people reduce their chances of premature deaths by 20 -30%, leading to reduced mortality rates (Welsh Government, 2011). Additionally, the government of Wales has emphasized on a need to create an atmosphere that supports people to be more physically active. Climbing Higher is a long term strategy to improve the physical activity levels of the people in the country. The project has also been greatly funded by the government with the over £7.2 million pounds being invested in the fiscal year 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 (Welsh Assembly Government, 2009). The cost of physical activity in Wales is currently estimated to be as high as £650 million, thus showing that the government has managed to achieve its set objectives and incentives. There are some pros and cons of the scheme. The first advantage of it is that the scheme targets children who are aged 7-11. When children learn to be physically active they are going to be healthy since a young age and they mostly going to be physically active in the future because they used to it when they were young. By 2008, 44% of the children between the ages of 7 and 11, were physically active the percentage which has since then increased to 52% by 2012 (Crown copyright, 2013). The policy is not only developed for the children and adolescents, although most emphasis is on these age groups but rather it is focused on encouraging adults who are currently physically inactive to take up physical activity as a lifestyle. Another advantage is shifting the average point of activity for adults from 2.4 to 3.4 and children from 3.9 to 4.9. According to statistics by the Welsh Assembly Government (2010), only 30% of the adults are active, and 34% of the active adults are classifiable as sedentary active people, meaning that they spend less than 30 minutes of physical activity. However, this number has been noted to steadily increase since the establishment of the Climbing Higher strategic plan the number has increased marginally. Another advantage of the scheme is the strategic planning both in funding and the setting of achievable of objectives. The long-term planning, from 2006 to 2020 is a clear advantage about the plan as it will increase the levels of follow up strategies to emphasize that the end results is achieved. However there are some disadvantages in this scheme and the first one is the period of time to get to the target. According to the Welsh Assembly Government (2009) "the target to get the average point for adults to reach 3.4 from 2.4 by 2020", and that is also the case with the children. Some adults will become elderly in that period so it might not be very helpful to them. Another key disadvantage about the plan is the fact that it has developed several other plans that are aimed at improving the achievement of the initial strategy. Games4 Life Wales and Change4 Life are new strategies that are focus-oriented (Lifestyle Change Branch, Welsh Government, 2013). The changes in the strategies have led to diverse objectives which are at times contradictory or opposing which thus hinders the collective achievement of the set strategic goals. Another scheme adopted by the UK government is the Recreation Strategy for Physical Activeness. The recreation strategy for the National Park in the Peak District is one of the recreational strategies adopted by the UK government. The emphasis of the strategy is the development of parks and national parks that encourage people to engage in physically active recreational activities such as hiking and walking around these parks. The initiative, which mainly focuses on environmental sustainability and sports has been one of the key initiatives that have assisted the government develop a sound strategy for the improvement of the physical health of people within the country. Districts such as Peak District have focused on developing, conserving and improving their National Park, whereas others such as Thanet District have focused on sports. Peak District focuses on the National Park development since the National Park is surrounded by the urban areas and these are highly populated areas. The urban areas will thus be actively if the park is made open for all and advocated for by the council. This has thus prompted the government to invest in the improvement of the national park through the introduction of new species and also the planting of more trees. The entry fees to the park have been significantly reduced as well to make the park not only cheap but also easily accessible (Peak District National Park Authority, 2011). Additionally, more walks have been created and the introduction of a variety of activities that are highly attractive to the people in the urban areas. The park has also been made open to the public with anyone having the right to access a third of the park without paying for the park entry fees. Thanet District Council on the other hand has introduced a variety of sports that suit the public and these sports are readily accessible by the public. The council advocates for affordable sports or zero-cost sports such as cycling, which has seen the ownership of cars in the district reduce marginally. Currently, 33% of households do not own cars, and this has thus emphasized a need to take up recreational sports such as cycling and walking within the city. The levels of unemployment in the district are currently, 5.5% which is higher than Kent District and England which are respectively 2.5% and 3.2%, which thus means most of the people might take up physically inactive roles in the district (Thanet District Council, 2010). The creation of sports for recreation will help reduce the levels of physical inactivity and increase the health of employed and unemployed people in the district marginally. One of the advantages of this scheme is the emphasis on environmental sustainability. Both Thanet District and Peak District have embarked in the development of urban parks and the national parks respectively hence creating a greener environment. Another advantage is the focus of the strategy on making the public more active through cost reduction or cost elimination to such sports, hence accounting for the low-income or unemployed members of the public to be active in participating in such sports. However, one of the key disadvantages of the is the fact that the policies focus more on the adult physical activity as opposed to the children and adolescents, who are the future generations. The creation of policies that focus on the improvement of physical activity among children and adolescents is crucial too, such as the introduction of such sports and recreational activities in the schools. The third scheme adopted by the UK government is the Play Strategy. The Scottish Government for instance has funded the play strategy heavily with investments of up to £235 million to emphasize the creation of play areas around neighbourhoods in the country. The investment would fund the development and reclaiming of 3,500 play areas in the country (Playful Communities, 2011). These parks are to be managed by the local authorities of various districts. The play strategy focuses on economic, social and environmental improvement to facilitate a healthy play environment and advocate for the improvement of the physical and mental health of the people. According to Scotland Government (2013), play improves the health of the children and makes their brains more organized. One of the key advantages of this scheme is that it emphasizes on the creation campaigns and empowerment programs to improve the participation in these plays. Another key advantage of the scheme is that it has involved the people in the park development. The feeling of ownership of the parks will thus greatly emphasize on the need to maintain them in the new condition, and also advocate for increased participation by both parents and their children. One of the key disadvantages of the strategy is that its primary focus is on the wellbeing of children alone. The play parks do not advocate for physical activeness of the adults. The UK government emphasis on physical activity is a preventive strategy that is aimed at mitigating the increasing levels of chronic ailments and unhealthy lifestyles the people have developed. The Scotland play strategy aimed at children parks for instance is mainly aimed at improving physical activity among children, whereas the recreation strategy is mainly aimed at improving the physical activity of the adults. The Active Wakes strategy however, covers all parties. Once all the schemes are implemented, the entire population will thus be covered in terms of physical fitness. These schemes will significantly increase the health of the people, reducing the rates of chronic ailments by more than half, and not forgetting the reduction of the level of premature mortality rates by at least 25%. The approach used by the government will thus lead to impressive health results for current and future generations once implemented and maintained. References Crown copyright. (2013). Sports Council for Wales Lottery Distribution Account 2012-13. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246616/0395.pdf Welsh Assembly Government. (2009). Climbing Higher: Creating an Active Wales A 5 Year Strategic Action Plan Consultation Document. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/pdf/Environment_Planning/LDP-Examination-Documents/W15-Climbing-Higher-Creating-an-Active-Wales-A-5-Year-Strategic-Action-Plan.pdf Welsh Assembly Government. (2010). Creating an Active Wales. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://www.sportwales.org.uk/media/144469/creating%20an%20active%20wales.pdf Peak District National Park Authority. (May, 2010). Active in The Outdoors: A Recreation Strategy and Action Plan for the Peak District National Park 2010-2020. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/79196/recreationstrategy.pdf Welsh Government. (23 May 2011). Creating an Active Wales. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://wales.gov.uk/topics/cultureandsport/sportandactiverecreation/active/?lang=en Playful Communities. (July, 2011). Government policy for play. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://www.playfulcommunities.org.uk/why_play_matters/government_policy_for_play.aspx Scotland Government. (January, 2013). Play Strategy for Scotland: Our Vision. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0042/00425722.pdf Lifestyle Change Branch, Welsh Government. (July, 2013). Creating an Active Wales: Three Year Progress Report –Summary. Retrieved on May 29, 2014 from http://wales.gov.uk/docs/phhs/publications/130807activewalesyear3reviewen.pdf Read More