In a bid to fight heart disease, NHS doctors will be prescribing free bikes to obese people.
The initiative launched by GPs in Cardiff, Wales, will keep more people active and healthy, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disorders.
The scheme will use bikes from Nextbike – the city’s bike-sharing company.
Doctors at Lansdowne Surgery and Fairwater Health Center will be able to prescribe 30-minute free hire sessions to patients for a period of six months.
The project will be funded by Nextbike throughout the trial period. And if the idea becomes successful to get obese people on bikes, the scheme will be started on a bigger scale.
Dr Karen Pardy, who’s one of the GPs to test out the pilot project, said: “Nextbike on prescription provides GPs and their teams with a valuable opportunity to help encourage patients to become more active.
“While we are aware of the many benefits of exercise for our patients, people are sometimes reluctant to engage.
“Nextbike on prescription allows people to have a go at cycling around Cardiff and realize how this can help to support their overall well-being.”
According to several studies, the UK is far behind than other European countries with regards to how much exercise its inhabitants do.
For instance, just 3 per cent of people use cycles to get to work in the UK – the lowest rate among all European countries.
On the contrary, 43 per cent of people in the Netherlands and 30 per cent in Denmark cycle every day.
According to research, even a small time spent on cycle can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease by 32 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.
And if done on a regular basis, cycling can reduce the chances of cancer by 45 per cent and that of heart disease by 46 per cent.
“It is recommended that adults are active for at least 150 minutes every week, but many people feel that 150 minutes is simply too difficult to fit into their busy schedules,” Dr Tom Porter, a consultant with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Public Health Wales, said while speaking about the importance of exercise.
“Not only can cycling to work reduce your risk of death from heart disease by 52 percent, but it’s also a great way to get around the city without using your car, making it good for both you and the environment around you, and helping to keep the air clean for everyone while reducing carbon emissions.”
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