Last month, the CEO of ukactive, Huw Edwards, commented on the release of the Active Lives Survey 2020-21, which tracks physical activity levels in the UK. The survey has revealed some valuable insights, as it partially covers the time when services were closed due to restrictions.
The survey found that physical activity fell dramatically, with 1.3 million more inactive adults when compared with pre-pandemic surveys. Edwards particularly emphasised that this coincided with a full lockdown and a third closure period for the sector’s facilities from the end of December through to April 2021.
Edwards stressed the connection between inactivity and poor mental health, citing the decline in the nation’s mental health as intrinsically connected with activity levels. He added:
“Crucially, the drop in activity levels was almost four times greater in the most deprived areas (4.4%) compared to the least deprived areas (1.2%).
“This confirmed what we knew about inequalities, with women, ethnically diverse communities, and people with long-term conditions also shown as less likely to be active than others during this period.”
He called for the government to support the sector in reaching “its full potential” and added that the sector could relieve some of the pressures on the nation’s workforce, economy and health and social care services.
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