Between the 2nd and 13th of March 2015, UK Active, Public Health England (PHE), the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network) and the Local Government Association (LGA) will deliver the second round of the Moving More Living More Physical Activity Fora.

Physical inactivity is the fourth largest cause of disease and disability in the UK and action is required by a collaboration of partners at a national and local level in order to address the problem and create a more active nation.

The Moving More, Living More regional physical activity fora were established to provide national insight into what can be done to tackle physical inactivity from a national level, as well as fostering conversations and producing partnerships at a local level to make an impact on local outcomes.

The second round of Moving More, Living More regional fora will present the most recent developments in the national movement for a more active England  and develop tangible actions that will make a difference at a local level.

The events will move the local agenda for physical activity forward and drive down into the details of how we can begin to tackle inactivity and create happier, healthier societies.

They will explore the evidence behind physical activity interventions from across the country – as well as giving a more localised focus to individual initiatives – and begin to assess the next steps for how local partners can work together collaboratively to combat physical inactivity.

Events news you:

Taunton: Monday 2nd March
Somerset County Cricket Club,
The County Ground,
Taunton,
Somerset,
TA1 1JT
South East Region: Wednesday 4th March
Etc venues (The Hatton),
51-53 Hatton Garden,
London,
EC1N 8HN
London: Friday 6th March
The Grange St Pauls,
10 Godliman Street,
London,
EC4V 5AJ
Blackpool: Wednesday 11th March
Winter Gardens
97 Church Street,
Blackpool,
Lancashire,
FY1 1HL
Birmingham: Friday 13th March
The Studio,
7 Cannon Street,
Birmingham,
B2 5EP
For more information and to book a place please visit  UK Active’s website. The Lake Foundation will be attending and we hope to see you there!

Target Ovarian Cancer and the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre are pleased to announce their three day Living Well course. This course is aimed at women who have recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer or have recurrent ovarian cancer.

This is a free residential course that will cover:

• Managing stress through relaxation and simple breathing exercises
• Coping with the emotional and psychological impact of cancer and its treatment
• How to prepare and enjoy healthy food
• Finding a way to bring manageable exercise into your life
• Discussing the impact of a cancer diagnosis on relationships
• Consider how living with cancer affects our deepest values and beliefs
• Receiving basic information on financial welfare

This course will be held on Tuesday 28^th  April to Thursday 30^th April 2015

OPM, an independent research organisation, has been commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support to conduct research on patients’ experiences of care transitions on their cancer journey. They are running a survey as part of this research.

By care transitions they mean a change in the place, provider or goal of the care that a person living with cancer is receiving. These changes occur at different stages of the journey, such as around diagnosis, and when treatment stops and someone enters recovery, or palliative care.They are interested in how people experience transitions, what factors influence these experiences and what impact this has.

OPM would really appreciate it if you could take 20 minutes to fill in the survey, by Wednesday 4^th March 2015.

The online survey can be completed at:

LINK: http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=142072251407

If you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, please email or call Ellie Mendez Sayer with your address and she will send you a copy and a pre-paid return envelope.

Please also forward the link to anyone you know who might be interested in completing this survey.

If you have any further questions about this research, please do not hesitate to contact Ellie Mendez Sayer on 02072397818 or emsayer@opm.co.uk

We’ll be hosting another Understanding Prostate Cancer session on 21^st Feb 2015 at Pneuma Christian Centre. This event is a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Punema Christian Centre and Prostate Cancer UK  and is a part of  the centre’s men’s conference which runs from 18^th – 22^nd Feb.

The  theme of the conference is Empowerment for a Healthy Life and our prostate cancer session will empower men with the information they need to take quick action should they notice any of the symptoms of prostate cancer.  Our session will cover: what is the prostate, prostate conditions, prostate cancer, signs & symptoms and risk factors.

All are welcome to attend. For more information please visit our events page or email us

World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is the single initiative under which the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), its members, partners and the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic.

Under the tagline ‘Not beyond us’, World Cancer Day 2015 will take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach.

The campaign explores how we can implement what we already know in the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care, and in turn, open up to the exciting prospect that we can impact the global cancer burden – for the better.

World Cancer Day 2015 will be articulated around four key areas of focus:

• Choosing healthy lives
• Delivering early detection
• Achieving treatment for all
• Maximising quality of life

For more information on how to get involved, please visit: www.worldcancerday.org

This article was written by the World Cancer Day team.

A brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual’s risk of early death, according to new research. The study of over 334,000 European men and women found that twice as many deaths may be attributable to lack of physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity, but that just a modest increase in physical activity could have significant health benefits. – See more at:http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/lack-of-exercise-responsible-for-twice-as-many-deaths-as-obesity#sthash.hSDv1MLp.dpuf

Physical inactivity has been consistently associated with an increased risk of early death, as well as being associated with a greater risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Although it may also contribute to an increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity, the association with early death is independent of an individual’s BMI.

To measure the link between physical inactivity and premature death, and its interaction with obesity, researchers analysed data from 334,161 men and women across Europe participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. Between 1992 and 2000, the researchers measured height, weight and waist circumference, and used self-assessment to measure levels of physical activity. The participants were then followed up over 12 years, during which 21,438 participants died. The results are published today in the American Journal of Clinical Exercise.

The researchers found that the greatest reduction in risk of premature death occurred in the comparison between inactive and moderately inactive groups, judged by combining activity at work with recreational activity; just under a quarter (22.7%) of participants were categorised as inactive, reporting no recreational activity in combination with a sedentary occupation. The authors estimate that doing exercise equivalent to just a 20 minute brisk walk each day – burning between 90 and 110 kcal (‘calories’) – would take an individual from the inactive to moderately inactive group and reduce their risk of premature death by between 16-30%. The impact was greatest amongst normal weight individuals, but even those with higher BMI saw a benefit.

Using the most recent available data on deaths in Europe the researchers estimate that 337,000 of the 9.2 million deaths amongst European men and women were attributable to obesity (classed as a BMI greater than 30): however, double this number of deaths (676,000) could be attributed to physical inactivity.

Professor Ulf Ekelund from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, who led the study, says: “This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive. Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this – physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life.”

Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Unit, adds: “Helping people to lose weight can be a real challenge, and whilst we should continue to aim at reducing population levels of obesity, public health interventions that encourage people to make small but achievable changes in physical activity can have significant health benefits and may be easier to achieve and maintain.”

Reference

Ekelund, U et al. Activity and all-cause mortality across levels of overall and abdominal adiposity in European men and women: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study (EPIC). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 14 Jan 2015

This article was written by Cambridge University and was first published on 14^th January 2015 here. We have used this content as stipulated by its Creative Commons Licence.

Today, The Lake Foundation formally published the findings from its fibroids survey.

Our fibroids survey was launched last summer and we invited women with experience of fibroids to take part. The aim of the survey was to understand the needs of women with fibroids to inform the development of our fibroids information and support programme.

We explored five main areas and our key findings are as follows:

Awareness of fibroids prior to diagnosis

• There was a general low level of awareness of fibroids amongst participants prior to their diagnosis.
• There was a good level of awareness of some of the main symptoms of fibroids but a low level of awareness of other symptoms.
• Participants were aware that ethnicity was a risk factor for fibroids but less aware of other risk factors.

Route to Diagnosis

• The majority of participants delayed seeing their GP for six months or more after first noticing symptoms.
• After visiting their GP, most women received a confirmed diagnosis within 4 weeks but over a quarter stated that it took 12 months or more to receive a confirmed diagnosis.

Treatment

• Despite the fact that 79% of participants had a discussion with their GP about treatment options, 63% stated that they didn’t feel that they had enough information to make an informed decision about their treatment.
• The majority of participants (42%) had surgery to treat their fibroids.
• A quarter of respondents were very happy with their follow-up and aftercare whilst 33% stated that they were not at all satisfied.

The Effect of Fibroids and its Treatment on Quality of Life

• Participants reported that fibroids and its treatment significantly affected their quality of life, affecting them not just physically, but emotionally.
• Many participants did not feel like they had enough support to assist them in managing or overcoming the emotional, physical and medical impact of fibroids.

The Availability of Information and Support

• The biggest gaps in the availability of support were in information and peer support with a small gap in emotional support.

In 2015 we will work towards addressing these issues and have started this with our Fibroids Ask The Expert which was launched at the end of last year.

For more information on the findings of our survey please download our report below.

This week, from 12^th – 18^th January, is National Obesity Awareness Week in the UK. During NOAW campaigners are urging the public to join their National New Year’s Resolution to tackle obesity by making a commitment to make a small lifestyle change – such as going for a regular walk or run, or eating a healthier diet.

Research has shown that black African women in the UK have the highest prevalence of obesity? The same is true for African American women. Let’s turn this around.

During NOAW The Lake Foundation will be sharing a range of health tips on our social media platforms so that we can turn these statistics around. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

If you missed our ‘Understanding Prostate Cancer’ event on 20^thDecember, have no fear, we will be holding another event on Saturday 10^th January 2015 at Trinity Baptist Church in West Norwood.

This event is a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Trinity Baptist Church and Prostate Cancer UK and is part of an engagement and empowerment pilot which aims to determine the best methods of reaching black men with the key messages about prostate cancer.

The event will cover: what is the prostate, prostate conditions, prostate cancer, signs & symptoms and risk factors ensuring that men have the information they need to take quick action should they notice any of the symptoms.

For more information about this event please email us: events@thelakefoundation.com

NHS England has announced the start of their new project, the 100,000 Genomes Project, in early 2015. The project aims to sequence 100,000 genomes within three years to determine the genetic mutations that lead to various cancers and rare diseases. This will enable targeted treatments to be developed for a wide range of conditions.

Doctors will be able to refer patients with relevant diseases, who are interested in taking part, to one of 11 Genomic Medicine Centres for inclusion in the project. Samples will be collected, genetic sequencing carried out and the data analysed.

NHS England are hoping to recruit 75,000 patients and The Lake Foundation is encouraging members of the African Caribbean community to take part to ensure that minorities are well represented and any ethnic genetic differences are identified.