Premier Training International is to launch a new health and wellbeing course geared towards those working on community schemes aimed at tackling the UK’s physical inactivity crisis.

Physical inactivity is costing the UK economy an estimated £10bn per year – estimated to rise to £50bn by 2050 if unchecked – and the epidemic has been brought into sharp focus by recent reports such as ukactive’s Turning the Tide on Inactivity.

With leisure operators working more closely on public health schemes as a result of their responsibility being transferred to local authorities, the Certificate in Promoting Community Health and Wellbeing course is intended to provide the necessary skills required to work in this changing landscape.

The course will cover: working with communities to promote and support active healthy lifestyles; facilitating behaviour change for health and wellness; the role of physical activity in health and wellbeing; alcohol awareness; smoking awareness and cessation; nutrition and healthy eating; and collecting, managing and reporting personal data.

There are no prerequisite qualifications for entry to the course, although students must be at least 16-years-old with reasonable reading, writing and numeracy skills. The course – which will run in London and Manchester – is predominantly delivered within a two-day face-to-face training programme (plus one assessment day) and is supported by online learning. It also includes a practical assessment and a number of written worksheets.

“Only 39 per cent of men and 29 per cent of women are currently meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendations for physical activity – these are worrying stats,” said Premier Training International research and development director Julian Berriman. “We believe this course will go someway in starting to tackle these issues head on.”