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Active lifestyles in the UK - Coggle Diagram
Active lifestyles in the UK
Benefits of physical activity
Mental
Helps deal with mental health issues (anxiety, depression)
Healthier weight > comfort/confidence in body
Increased energy levels
Reset switch for brain, replaces stress & low mood with calm/happiness
Sleep
Improves sleep patterns
Better memory retention
Balancing hormones
More consistent diet
Physical
Weight-bearing activities > bone health, muscle strength, flexibility
Reduced obesity risk, prevents cardiovascular disease, breathing difficulties
Crucial to children's development
Social
Opportunity to make new friends
Better self-esteem
More trust and positivity about community
Solutions
Environment
Blue & green spaces
Active environments that encourage walking, cycling etc.
Fun opportunities for children, e.g. inline skating
Target groups
Girls
Focus on enjoyment and personal development over performance
Outfits minimising body image concerns
Show role models
Other disdvantaged groups
Schemes
Identify children in the area who are unlikely to participate in the recommended daily hour of exercise
Work with children/families to find appropriate solutions
Transport plans which do not discourage activity
Walk/bike to school days
Children
Opportunities
Time
Manageable school workload
Space
Permission/encouragement
Facilities/equipment
School facilities publicly available after hours
What can
you
do?
Integrate physical activity into daily routine
Walk/bike to school
Regular sport
Get involved
Help organise bike/walk to school days
Get in touch with local community centres, e.g. email, to share ideas (e.g. if you struggle to find opportunities to stay physically active)
Get friends active with you
Sports clubs
Runs
Walks
Inequalities in physical activity
Disadvantaged groups
Lower socioeconomic groups
40% weekly sport in top half of social classes vs 26% in bottom half (2015/16)
Poverty is a key cause of health inequalities
Women
Just 47% of 15-year-old girls exercising for 1+ hour a day compared to 66% of boys
29% of men do sporting activities, less than 17% of women
27% of women inactive, 24% of men
Ethnic minorities
53% of South Asians active vs 62% of White British
Black & Asian groups in England less likely to participate
Disabled
17% of disabled people sports 1x week in 2016 vs 40% non-disabled
Age
Three quarters of 16-24-year-olds active in 2017, 58% for 55-64, 38% for 75-84.
77% of school pupils being active compared to 61% no longer in education
Regions
Southwest England leads (63% of adults active, 2% above avg)
West Midlands worst (57% active, 4% below avg)
Northeast + East Midlands also inactive
Trends in physical activity
Wales
More adults wanting to get active (27% in 2022/23 vs 35% in 2024/25)
Less adults active 3x a week (35% in 2024/25 vs 39% in 2022/23)
Mental & physical decline (PHW)
England
% of adults classed as active up by over 2.4 million 2016 to 2023/24.
Inactive adults down by 121,000 between 2023 and 2024
2016 to 2023/24, active adults aged 55+ up by 2.5 million, from 51% to 58%
Increase among disabled/long-term ill
Weekly sport participation: wealthier social classes up 39% to 40%, lower classes 29% to 26% (2007/8 to 2015/16)
Causes of inactivity
Financial
34% of Welsh adults say financial situation has negative effect on their health
Environment
Environments aren't enabing people to be active (PHW)
Hard to focus on own health
28% of Welsh adults say their current physical activity levels are having a negative impact on their health