An increasing number of people in Bristol did not get enough exercise during the pandemic, a sign that successive lockdowns have made the nation more sedentary.
Sport England, which promotes sporting habits across the country, conducts an annual survey that measures people’s activity levels to help assess the health and well-being of the public. Someone is classified as physically active if they get the equivalent of at least 150 minutes of “moderately intense” exercise a week on average.
This could include walking, bicycling, dancing, exercising, and other sports activities. But it excludes gardening.
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However, an estimated 78,600 people aged 16 and over in Bristol were classified as physically inactive in the year to November 2021. That means they did less than half an hour of moderately vigorous activity a week: 20.7% of age group.
It was also a 19% increase from 66,000 in the year to November 2019. That was the last survey period before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Across England, the number of inactive people over the age of 16 rose by about 1.3 million over the two-year period to November last year, reaching 12.4 million, or 27.2% of the age group. Another 11.5% considered themselves “fairly active,” doing the equivalent of 30 to 149 minutes of moderately intense activity per week, while the remaining 61.4% were active.
The results were based on a survey of more than 175,000 people across the country, the largest study of its kind. The report found that activity began to recover during the 12 months to November as social restrictions eased, although it largely remained below pre-pandemic levels.
It also showed disparities between different groups in society. A slightly smaller proportion of women (60%) were active than men (63%), while the poor and unemployed, people with disabilities, and minority ethnic groups were among those least likely to do 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week.
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said the findings showed activity levels were starting to pick up. He said this was a testament to the dedication of all those who worked to bring activities back safely when restrictions eased.
He added: “That the data tells us that this early recovery is not universal is no surprise and that is exactly why our Uniting the Movement strategy disproportionately focuses resources and funding towards the people and places that need the most support to be active.” .
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