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October 13, 2024
Almost a tenth of British adults have done no exercise whatsoever during the last four weeks, a new study has revealed.
The research, which was carried out by the Centre for Market and Public Organisation at Bristol University and examined the lifestyles of a million adults, also found that nearly 80 per cent don’t exercise enough to meet government recommendations.
The target set by health bosses and ministers is to complete a 30-minute session of moderate exercise such as swimming or walking 12 times a month.
The research found that just over eight per cent of adults had not once walked continuously for five minutes in the previous month, while 46 per cent said they had not walked continuously for 30 minutes.
Nine out of 10 had failed to swim and a similar number hadn’t found time to go to the gym.
The results were described as ‘staggering’ by one of the authors, Professor Carol Propper, who added: ‘The level of physical activity is shockingly low.’
The UK is thought to be one of the most physically inactive countries in the world, with another Department of Health study finding that only six per cent of men and four per cent of women met the Department’s recommended activity levels.
As a result, more than a quarter of the adult population is obese, while 44 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women are classified as overweight.
The problem is thought to be particularly acute in Scotland, where the latest figures show that 41 per cent of men are overweight and a third are obese – making it, when taken in isolation from the rest of the UK, the third weightiest nation on earth after the USA and Mexico.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Scotland, with the survey, which also took into account ethnic and economic backgrounds, finding that those of Indian heritage were the most likely to be unhealthy.
Those educated to degree level were the least likely to skip the gym, while by contrast, those with no qualifications were three times as likely to take no or very little exercise.
‘Physical inactivity is the most important modifiable health behaviour for chronic disease, so knowing who is physically inactive is important for designing cost-effective policy interventions,’ added Popper.
‘These findings show physical inactivity in England has a large socioeconomic gradient, with clear evidence of independent disparities by gender, ethnic group, age, geographic area and socioeconomic position.
‘[The results] suggest that financial as well as cultural barriers need to be overcome to reduce the prevalence of physical inactivity.’
Source Mail Online