Active Lives data shows impact of pandemic restrictions

Activity levels in England were on course to reach record highs before the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit, according to Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Survey.

The findings, which have been published today, Thursday 22 October 2020, cover the 12 months from mid-May 2019 to mid-May 2020 and include the first seven weeks of lockdown restrictions imposed to prevent the virus from spreading.

In a change to previous years, Sport England has produced two reports, the first covering the full 12 months up until mid-May, the second covering a snapshot of people’s behaviours and attitudes between mid-March and mid-May when restrictions were introduced.

Nationally, activity levels were on the rise and rates of inactivity were falling before the coronavirus outbreak. The impact of the pandemic has resulted in the initial growth in physical activity participation being wiped out, resulting in a widely unchanged set of results. The new figures show 28.6 million adults were active in England, however 16.9 million people did not meet the targets for 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.

Despite little change in physical activity participation across England, there has been an increase in inactivity across Northumberland and some areas of Tyne & Wear, demonstrating that it is still an ongoing challenge to engage sections of society in leading healthier, more physically active lifestyles.

These latest survey results show that overall, whilst activity levels in England remained stable across the 12 months, in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear there were specific results to highlight. North Tyneside was the most active local authority area, with 64% of the population achieving the 150-minute physical activity target. Newcastle and Northumberland also recorded physical activity levels that were similar to the national average (63.7% and 62.7% respectively). However, there still seems to be significant barriers to physical activity across Sunderland, South Tyneside and Gateshead, where approximately 30% of the population are inactive.

Despite just over 60% of Northumberland’s population meeting national physical activity recommendations, the area has seen the biggest decrease in physical activity during the 12-month period. In the last Active Lives report, 20.9% of Northumberland’s population was inactive, this has increased to 27.8% based on the latest survey. Smaller increases in levels of inactivity are noticeable across Tyne and Wear, except for North Tyneside, where physical inactivity fell from 26.9 % to 25.3%.

Trend analysis for the six local authorities is available to view here.

The previous release of the Active Lives survey was the first time that information was reported on people’s perceived individual development, loneliness, mental health and wellbeing. Again, the latest survey results have found there is a positive link between increased physical activity and mental wellbeing. Similarly, it is seen that those who are active report an increased level of resilience when faced with adversity. Furthermore, the combination of both being active and volunteering shows the highest scores across all mental and wellbeing measures.

At Rise we are dedicated to helping to drive improvements in our area. We use the Active Lives data to inform our work with our partners, and to tackle the complex and challenging task of reducing inactivity to improve the lives of more people across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.

Currently, we’re working hard to raise awareness of the relationship between physical and mental health, particularly at this time of uncertainty with local restrictions and seasonal change, and we look forward to sharing our forthcoming #NEMovement campaign, details of which are set to be released soon.

Full findings from Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey Report May 19/20 are available here.

To download this statement as a PDF click here.

To download our report summary click here.