Almost 80,000 aged 16 and over across Bristol classed physically inactive last year

YOUNGSTERS weren’t the only ones not getting enough exercise.

Sport England, which promotes sporting habits across the country, conducts an annual survey measuring people’s activity levels to help gauge the public’s health and wellbeing.

Someone is classed as physically active if they do the equivalent of at least 150 minutes of “moderately intense” exercise a week on average.

This could include walking, cycling, dance, fitness and other sporting activities – but it excludes gardening.

However, an estimated 78,600 people aged 16 and over across Bristol were classed as physically inactive in the year to November 2021. That means they did less than half an hour of moderately intense activity a week – 20.7 per cent of the age group.

It was also an increase of 19 per cent from 66,000 in the year to November 2019. That was the last survey period before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Across England, the number of inactive people aged 16 and over rose by an estimated 1.3 million over the two-year period to November last year – hitting 12.4 million, or 27.2 per cent of the age group. A further 11.5 per cent were deemed “fairly active”, doing the equivalent of 30 to 149 minutes of moderately intense activity a week, while the remaining 61.4 per cent 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 over the 12 months to November as social restrictions eased, although they largely stayed below pre-pandemic levels.

It also showed disparities between different groups in society. A slightly smaller proportion of women (60 per cent) were active than men (63 per cent), while poor and unemployed people, disabled and minority ethnic groups were all among those less likely to do 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise a week.

Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of Sport England, said the findings showed activity levels were starting to recover.