ESSEX residents could do better when it comes to physical activity and may be setting themselves up for a host of health problems.

Nearly half of the people in the county play no sport nor do they do any physical activity at all, says a new report by Sport England.

The national average is 52 per cent, meaning Essex residents are actually marginally fitter than most of the UK, but medics believe nearly half the population being inactive is not a good thing and something needs to change.

In 2007, the Foresight Report predicted that by 2050, 50 per cent of the UK population could be obese, costing the nation nearly £50billion every year.

Seven years on, and Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said, in January, that the country was “failing to turn the tide” on obesity and that national “soul searching” was needed to address the problem.

Department of Health Guidelines state that being less physically active and generally unhealthy could lead to increased rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

HenryWood, dietician at Southend Hospital, explained the personal and societal impact of these diseases.

He said: “They could obviously have an effect on our hospital because heart disease and stroke can become acute and need emergency treatment.

“If these conditions are not treated, they can become chronic, especially diabetes.

“This puts an enormous cost on the NHS and also to the individual themselves as it can shorten their lifespan – up to ten years with diabetes.”

Government advice recommendsaminimum of 20 minutes of exercise a day, but it doesn’t have to be intense physical activity, just going for a walk still counts.

Mr Wood added: “I like the idea we’re like a human animal. We’re not really designed to sit on the sofa, playing computer games and watching soap operas.

“Carrying excess body weight means you are more prone to illnesses and it makes it harder to do things such as being physically active. It puts pressure on your knees and joints for instance which can lead to circulation problems and knee problems.

“Later in life it might lead to knee surgery and this can have a knock-on effect to hospitals.

“You’d have to come in as an in-patient and have surgery, then you’d need follow up appointments to check implants are working correctly.”

Last week Essex County Council launched ITS latest initiative to get people off the sofa with Get Active Essex.

The campaign aims to encourage people to be active and make them aware of all the different ways in which it can be done.

Ben Page, of the Locker Room and LBM gyms, in Southend, thinks motivation and money are key factors behind people’s inactivity and state of health.

He said: “The Government worries about taxes and revenues, but they should be worrying about our kids’ health.

“It’s disgusting the amount of obese kids you see now, but how easy is it to go out and buy junk, compared to healthy food?

“There should be taxes on sugary foods and we need to get away from a lifestyle of convenience, where unhealthy takeaways are everywhere.

“At our gyms we have had people who have been a week away from going on tablets and developing diabetes, but we’ve reversed that through physical activity.

“People in this country lose motivation really quickly for some reason and we see that they leave gyms because they don’t get the quick results. We work with our members to change their lifestyle, whether it’s to lose a few pounds because the doctor said so, or get in shape after a divorce.

“We keep people motivated by focussing them on why they came to us in the first place and keeping the personal element that big gyms, with thousands of members, don’t offer.”

A GP is often the first line of defence when someone is unhealthy and becoming overweight.

Dr Haroon Siddique, of the Southend Medical Centre, has noticed an increase in people coming to see him who are just tipping the scales into obesity.

He said; “Exercise is good for your heart and fat levels and also your general wellbeing and it has a positive psychological impact too.

“As GPs, we advocate and try to encourage people to be active, but with time pressures everyone is under now it is difficult to do.

“I think a lot of people have the knowledge, they know the right thing to do, it is just a matter of doing it. We have certainly noticed levels of obesity increasing in younger groups though.

“It’s an easy thing to say, but children don’t play outside as much anymore and sit playing electronic games and watching television.”

As Dr Siddique said, the basic principles are not difficult to grasp and deep down most of us know the answer to our problems is to eat better and move more.

And as Olympic swimmer Mark Foster said when launching the Get Active Essex Campaign: “Essex has become famous for Towie, how about we become known as the fittest county in the country?”