DH launches World Cup fitness app

The Department of Health has launched an online World Cup fitness tool to get football fanatics off the sofa and away from their pints and pizza.

The DH said it expected football fans to spend a great deal of time over the next few weeks in front of the TV that it hopes the online tool will encourage some of them to get more active.

The tool can be downloaded from iTunes and is also available via Facebook and NHS Choices.

It encourages men to identify themselves as fans of World Cup, Premiership and Championship teams and to answer a series of simple health questions – such as whether they smoke, can carry shopping without puffing, and use condoms.

It then gives users a ‘transfer value’ based on the answers that they can use to compare themselves with other fans and to win points for their favourite teams. Users can also get more feedback on their answers and simple health and healthy living tips.

Public health minister Anne Milton said she hoped people would be inspired by watching some of the fittest people in the world competing in the World Cup.

She added: “This aims to get people thinking about how simple changes in their life, like eating a better diet or joining their local Sunday league football team, could improve their health.”

The tool is backed by the English Football Association and has been developed with the charity Men’s Health Forum.

Peter Baker, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum, said: “We know that many men will watch the World Cup with a can of lager in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.

"Because we’d like men to stay in good enough shape to cheer England all the way, we’re suggesting they put the remote down for long enough each day to do a brisk walk and eat some healthy grub too.”

The DH said recent research from Loughborough University suggested that one in ten fans will drink 20 cans and 20 pints of beer throughout the World Cup while one in seven fans will eat ten pizzas during the tournament.