We Can Be Active Strategy
We Can Be Active strategy for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Date: 5 August 2021 Author: Energise Me
Being physically active is good for us. It reduces our risk of major illnesses, depression and early death. But how many of us in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are experiencing these benefits?
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. New insight published alongside the We Can Be Active strategy reveals that 63.6% of local adults (aged 16+) are meeting this recommendation. Meanwhile, a whopping 382,600 of us are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.
Our bodies are designed to move, but we have been thrown into an environment that makes it all too easy to be stagnant."
We Can Be Active online conversation participant
Research indicates that most of us would like to be more active. Figures shared in the We Can Be Active insight pack reveal that:
People think it's a choice and some of it is, but when you are in it then tell me how easy it is to fix - because it isn't and I can't do it on my own.
We Can Be Active online conversation participant
The insight reveals lots of reasons why some of us are less active than we would like to be, including:
Both national and local research revealed similar barriers. These are not things that one person or one organisation can solve on their own. It will take a team effort to address them. The data in this pack helps focus our attention on who is currently least active so that we can work with them to understand and address these barriers at a local level.
I have a long-term health condition and people instantly don’t want me to hurt myself or make it worse. I worry about it when other people worry about it or I don’t think they can help me through it.
We Can Be Active online conversation participant
When it comes to who is or isn’t active, stubborn inequalities exist. Adults living with a health condition or disability are almost twice as likely to be inactive than those without. People from Black or South Asian ethnic groups are less likely to be active than those from White and Mixed race ethnic groups. Women are less likely to be active than men and almost half of adults aged 75+ are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.
These are just a few of the inequalities that are evident in local and national data.
[I wish I had] more access to things I like and the confidence to go.
Young person, Hampshire, Me & Activity Report
The We Can Be Active insight pack provides Hampshire and Isle of Wight data from Sport England’s Active Lives Surveys. It details activity levels by demographic group. Where possible, it also provides local authority level data so we can gain a deeper understanding of activity levels in our area.
The data is accompanied by quotes from the We Can Be Active online conversation as well as national insight. It provides a starting point that we can build on by chatting to local people and working together to inspire and support active lifestyles.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
