So lazy, we might as well stay in bed: Experts warn of a ‘pandemic’ of inactivity

Sedentary lifestyles mean that by 2030 the average person will use just a quarter more energy in a day than if they had stayed in bed.

The ‘pandemic’ of inactivity in poor areas of England is leading to 17 per cent of premature deaths, according to public health experts.

The research by Ukactive showed that in some parts of the country, four in 10 people exercise less than half an hour each month.

Research carried out by Ukactive has shown sedentary lifestyles mean that by 2030 the average person will use just a quarter more energy in a day than if they had stayed in bed

The health group found that in the most inactive areas, there is an average of 342 premature deaths per 100,000 people per year, compared with 242 in those where people exercise the most.
 

Lazy: The results were worst in Manchester, Sandwell, the West Midlands, Salford and Bradford (pictured)
Richmond upon Thames

Fit: Even in the fittest areas of Britain – the London borough of Richmond upon Thames (pictured) and Wokingham in Berkshire – one in five people did not manage 30 minutes of exercise

Inactivity costs the economy in each local authority £18 million per 100,000 people every year on average, the study found. Cutting physical inactivity by just 1per cent a year over a five-year period would save the UK economy just under £1.2 billion, it said.

Researchers found that the most inactive local authorities have, on average, a third fewer leisure facilities than the least inactive areas.

But they said there is no link between levels of exercise and the amount of green space in each region. This contrasts with a report published yesterday from the the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which found a lack of green space meant people were more likely to suffer ill health and walk less.

The report reveals in the most inactive parts of the UK – Manchester, Salford, Bradford and the West Midlands – there are an average of 342 premature deaths per 100,000 of the population, compared with 242 in the fittest part of the country, which include Richmond upon Thames and Wokingham in Berkshire

David Stalker, chief executive officer of Ukactive, said inactivity was ‘a distinct risk to public health’.

Fred Turok, chairman of Ukactive, said: ‘It’s no longer acceptable that physical inactivity remains the forgotten cause of death in the UK.

‘More deprived areas are faring worse in a physical inactivity pandemic – with no national strategy to improve our fitness levels, from before we take our first steps to our last.’

Lord Sebastian Coe, who is backing the report, said: ‘Physical inactivity currently accounts for nearly one fifth of premature deaths in the UK.

‘With projections showing that inactivity levels are due to increase by a further 15% by 2030, there is no doubt that the issue requires immediate national attention and urgent action.’

Source Mail Online