来源：《卫报》
刊登日期：2021年5月23日
超纲词：obesity，obese，mitigate
One of the many discoveries of the last 14 months has been how Covid-19 seeks out underlying vulnerabilities. One vulnerability the government has, rightly, pinpointed as something to be addressed is obesity. In 2019, the year leading into the pandemic, figures for England showed over a million hospital admissions for causes directly related to obesity, with 67% of men and 60% of women overweight or obese. Months of lockdown are not likely to have improved this. The government is promoting “weight management services”.
过去14个月的诸多发现之一是，新冠疫情能够帮助找到潜在的脆弱性。英国政府正确地指出了一个需要解决的问题，那就是肥胖。2019年，也就是新冠大流行的前一年，英国的数据显示，有超过100万人因与肥胖直接相关的原因住院，67%的男性和60%的女性超重或肥胖。数月的封锁不太可能改善这一点。政府目前正在推广“体重管理服务”。
It is a pity, then, that the means so far made available to local communities do not support the laudable end. Earlier this month, the former Paralympian Lady Grey-Thompson told that more than 50% of public leisure facilities are at risk of closing in the next six months. The next day, the District Councils’ Network (DCN), which represents 180 district councils providing leisure services in England, noted that one in three councils expected to close leisure centres for good in the next three months, and over half in the next year. Of those able to remain open, 80% expected to decrease services.
遗憾的是，迄今为止提供给地方社区的资金并不足以支持这一值得称赞的目标。本月早些时候，前残奥会选手格雷-汤普森女士表示，未来6个月，超过50%的公共休闲设施将面临关闭的风险。第二天，代表英格兰180个提供休闲服务的区政府网络(DCN)指出，三分之一的区政府预计将在未来三个月永久关闭休闲中心，明年将有一半以上的区政府关闭休闲中心。在那些能够继续营业的休闲中心里，80%预计将减少服务。
Commercial gyms certainly have an important role to play in keeping England active. A major beneficial side-effect, of course, is that such activity can also help with mental health: studies have shown even 10 minutes of regular exercise may mitigate depression. But community leisure centres provide this and far more. Commercial gyms, for instance, in view of how expensive swimming pools are to maintain, tend not to provide them. Leisure centres often contain parents’ clubs, and act as affordable venues for family celebrations; they provide school swimming lessons and host all manner of local clubs. Some leisure centres run activities for disabled people and Alzheimer's. They are on the whole more affordable than gyms and often provide concessions and subsidies. Research by the King’s Fund discovered that for every £1 invested in a leisure centre, £23 in value is created.
商业健身房当然在保持英国的活力方面扮演着重要的角色。当然，体育锻炼的一个主要的有益副作用是也有助于心理健康：研究表明，即使是10分钟的定期锻炼也可以缓解抑郁。但是社区休闲中心提供的不仅仅是这些。例如，考虑到维护游泳池的费用是多么昂贵，商业健身房往往不会提供这些服务。休闲中心通常设有家长俱乐部，是家庭庆祝活动的廉价场所；它们为学校提供游泳课程，并举办各种各样的当地俱乐部。有些休闲中心为残疾人和阿尔茨海默氏症患者举办活动。总的来说，它们比健身房更实惠，而且经常提供优惠和补贴。英国国王基金的研究发现，每投资1英镑在休闲中心，就会创造23英镑的价值。
Community leisure centres are, like libraries or the NHS, a measure of our commitment to all aspects of England’s health and resilience, and to the narrowing of inequalities. They must not be allowed to close.
社区休闲中心，与图书馆或英国国家医疗服务系统（NHS）一样，是衡量我们对英格兰健康和恢复力各方面以及缩小不平等的承诺的一个尺度。不能让它们关闭。