Inactive people

What we know

The figures on inactivity are stark. One in four of us do fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, while a staggering 1 in 6 deaths is caused by inactivity. That’s the same as smoking.

But it only takes a small amount of regular activity to make a big difference, especially for those who are least active. It’s no wonder physical activity has been described as a "miracle cure".

Active Lives

Now with a third full year of data, our Active Lives Adult Survey gives an updated comprehensive overview of adult (age 16+) sport and physical activity in England in the 12 months from May 2018 to May 2019.

The positive news is that in the 12 months to May 2019, the number of adults who were regularly active increased by almost 539,500. This takes us to 28.6 million regularly active adults, the highest activity levels ever recorded.

In contrast, the number of inactive adults has fallen by 122,900, which means that inactivity amongst adults in England is also at the lowest level ever.

These results have primarily been driven by an increase in the number of women who are regularly active. Activity levels are also up for disabled people and those with a long-term health condition.

There is, however, much still to be done, with persistent inequalities for those from the lowest income families and those from Black and South Asian backgrounds. 

Making activity accessible

Extensive research tells us we don’t have to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity. Almost everyone knows it’s good for them, and most would like to do more. We need to make it an easy, practical, attractive choice, especially for people who tend not to take part in sport or activity now: women and girls, disabled people, those in lower socio-economic groups and older people. 

It’s tempting to stereotype people who are inactive, particularly if you love sport and being active and can’t imagine not doing it. But people are inactive for a host of different reasons and their habits can vary dramatically at different times in their lives. 

Programmes and projects must start with the needs of the individual – offering them activities when and where it suits them, and where they feel comfortable. From walking to table tennis, rounders to swimming, we know that these activities have a good track record of appealing to those who are inactive. The key is finding something enjoyable.

Physical inactivity care costs

The costs to the state of physical inactivity are high. According to the Everybody Active, Every Day governmental report, physical inactivity costs the UK an estimated £7.4 billion each year. 

We commissioned the British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University to show how much this inactivity costs individual local authorities. This was based on the proportion of the cost of treating five major diseases that can be attributed to people being inactive. The total cost for treating these diseases is much higher, therefore this is the proportion that can be related to physical inactivity.

The figures available in the downloadable table below shows the total treatment costs for five major diseases split by local authority area.

Start Active, Stay Active

In July 2011 the Chief Medical Officers from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales published Start Active, Stay Active, a joint report on physical activity which included guidelines on the levels of physical activity needed to provide population level changes in health.