The number of over-75s meeting NHS exercise guidelines in England has increased by 25% in eight years, while fitness levels among young people are declining, new figures reveal.
It is recommended that adults do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as walking, cycling, or gardening.
More than two million adults have achieved the target since Sport England began collecting data in 2015, the highest number since the survey began.
But the group’s latest report shows that this increase is being driven by older people.
According to the Active Life Adult Survey, activity levels among 16-34 year olds have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with 70.1% now meeting the recommended level of physical activity compared to 72.2% in 2015/2016. It has become.
In contrast, the proportion of people aged 75 and over who achieved their weekly target was around 42.8%, up from 33.4% in 2015/2016.
Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of Sport England, said: “It’s great to see older people leading the way.”
“This group has traditionally faced many barriers to participating in sport, but like all of us, they have much to gain from physical activity.
“Since we first reported our Active Living Survey in 2016, there are now two million more active people in the UK and a further two million people benefiting from active living. .
“While there are many good points, this report is a reminder of how much work remains to be done.”
Big disparity in momentum
The report’s authors warned that choosing to exercise is “highly dependent on your bank balance and postcode” after finding large disparities in physical activity levels across the country.
In Brighton and Hove, 78% of people meet the activity guidelines, while in Barking and Dagenham less than half (48%) of the population meet the target.
And while almost three-quarters (73%) of people in the wealthiest areas said they met the guidelines, only 53% in the poorest areas said they met the guidelines.
Overall, 63.4% of the public said they met the 150-minute guideline, 10.9% said they spent between 30 and 149 minutes a week, and 25.7% said they spent less than 30 minutes.
Men were slightly more likely to achieve their goals than women, with 65.9% exercising regularly compared to 61.2% of women.
The number of adults actively traveling has also increased in the last year, with 4.5 million more people walking for leisure than in 2015, although this is still not at pre-pandemic levels.
