If Canadians were just 10 percent less inactive, this would translate into a $2.1 billion savings in direct and indirect health care costs, studies show. 

"Physical inactivity has been recognized as a major public health concern throughout the developed countries around the world. This has prompted many countries around the globe to develop physical activity campaigns to counteract the decline in physical activity, such as the development of the Physical Activity Guides in Canada," says Dr. Greg Anderson of UCFV's Kinesiology and Physical Education department.

The topic of physical activity and health was the focus of Communicating Physical Activity & Health Messages, a large international conference in Whistler recently.

Anderson helped organize this international event, sponsored by Health Canada and the Centres for Disease Control in the United States. The conference involved close to 400 delegates from 22 countries involved in public health policy and the promotion of physical activity for improved health. The conference included a session led by the World Health Organization.

Anderson was involved in the planning of the conference in collaboration with Participaction, Health Canada, and the Centres for Disease Control, and was chair of the site committee which organized all on- site logistics and transportation. UCFV was a sponsor of the event, providing several levels of support. Beyond Dr. Anderson's time, the Adventure Tourism students, under the direction of Ken Smith, were instrumental in meeting the delegates at the Vancouver International Airport and coordinating the transportation of individuals to Whistler, while Instructional Media Services supported some of the audiovisual requirements of the conference.

Art Salmon, the national director of Canada's ParticipACTION initiative had high praise for UCFV's contribution.

"UCFV's Adventure Tourism faculty and staff were instrumental in the success of the conference," said Salmon. "Many compliments were passed on to the organizing committee concerning their pleasant and professional service. And Dr. Greg Anderson worked very diligently for almost a year ensuring that the local logistics for the conference were ready when the delegates arrived."

"The conference, 20 months in the planning, was a huge success," reports Anderson. "Since the conference, we saw the Surgeon General from the United States support mandatory physical education in schools, to help curb the trend of physical inactivity and obesity in children. Further, the messages used to promote physical activity may change slightly: 30 minutes of daily moderate intensity activity is the minimum requirement for improved health, while for the majority of the population the idea of 'more is better' will most often hold true (very few people get to the point of overtraining)."

The World Health Organization also declared April 7, 2002, as World Health Day, a day to be directed towards physical activity and the dissemination of information concerning the health benefits achieved from regular participation in moderate intensity physical activity. 

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