Million more inactive amid Covid chaos
➤ Survey lays bare impact of pandemic on nation’s fitness ➤ Major drop-off in activity levels of young causes alarm
The impact of Covid-19 and lockdowns on the nation’s fitness has been laid bare in a major report which shows that a million more people became inactive during the pandemic. The drop-off in activity was especially alarming in the young. Of 16-24-year-olds, 446,000 fewer were deemed active compared to before the pandemic.
Of the entire adult population, 12.5million (27.5 per cent) averaged less than 30 minutes of even moderately intense exercise a week.
The Active Lives survey, published by Sport England, provides the most extensive annual analysis of activity trends.
It found that existing inequalities relating to ethnicity, socio-economic group and disability worsened during the lockdowns.
The data covers the period May 2020 to May 2021, when many facilities closed. There were declines in the numbers swimming regularly, taking part in fitness classes and simply walking to work, although that was partially offset by rises in walking for leisure and cycling.
Sport England acknowledged the “unprecedented impact” and highlighted the disproportionately severe impact on disadvantaged groups in areas of high deprivation.
The survey defined being active as engaging in moderately intense exercise, such as a brisk walk, for at least 150 minutes a week, or a vigorous activity that caused participants to be out of breath or sweating for 75 minutes a week.
Of the adult population, 39.1 per cent did not meet the definition.
A partial recovery in activity levels has been evident since restrictions were largely lifted in March, although they remain down by 1.6 million (4.1 per cent) on 2019.
“The impact of Covid is unsurprisingly extremely stark,” Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said.
“It is clear that the benefits of activity don’t just manifest themselves physically; the mental health and well-being of people is boosted, communities become more cohesive, and the economic impact creates added value locally and nationally, as well helping individual employment prospects.”
Activity types
The impact of Covid-19 and the various lockdowns on access to individual sports and activities has contrasted sharply through the pandemic. Walking and cycling for leisure enjoyed large increases, of respectively 3.6 million and 1.2 million, but team sports and gym and fitness activities were hugely affected. Swimming also absorbed a devastating impact. The number of people who swam at least twice a month collapsed from 4.1 million to just 1.2 million, and there are now fears that as many as 2,000 pools could be lost without further funding and a dedicated public leisure rescue plan.
Ukactive, the organisation which represents gyms and public leisure centres, stressed the need for additional financial support but also a reform of business rates and VAT to ensure that facilities can survive and then grow to underpin the recovery. “If we are to learn the lessons of this pandemic that still threatens us, we must improve the nation’s health,” said Huw Edwards, Ukactive’s chief executive. “Gyms, pools, leisure centres and studios are the engine room of activity in this country.”
Children and young people
One of the most striking features of the data was how the youngest adults, aged 16 to 34, had experienced the largest negative impact.
The scale of the drops in activity were not only greater but also more sustained and the number of active people in this age group remains 900,000 down on the same period before the pandemic. Almost a quarter (22.3 per cent) of 16 to 34-yearolds did not manage even 30 minutes of moderate activity a week from May 2020 to May 2021.
The Telegraph launched its Keep Kids Active campaign last December and Sport England has made young people’s activity one of the central strands of its new 10-year strategy.
The new research did not specifically measure children’s activity levels, but a survey by the Schools Active Movement after the third national lockdown found 84 per cent of schools had identified a decline in children’s physical fitness and two-thirds thought pupils had gained excessive weight. The Youth Sports Trust has called for a national education campaign to tackle an inactivity crisis in young people and has urged the Government to set a measurable target of becoming the most active nation in the world.
Gender gap
Although the drop in men’s and women’s activity levels was similar during the pandemic, there was still a gender divide due to the fact that women were starting from a lower base and have since found it more difficult to get back to their pre-pandemic levels.
Women were also especially impacted by how participation in fitness classes, such as yoga and circuits, dropped and stayed significantly lower all the way through to the end of the reporting period in May. They were also proportionally more affected by the restrictions that kept swimming pools closed.
Sport England measured the mental well-being of people through the past year and found that the numbers who described themselves as happy and satisfied also suffered small declines, with women again more affected than men.
“Women have seen a greater impact in their mental health wellbeing during all stages of the pandemic,” said Sport England. “Given consistently lower activity levels and the association between these measures, it’s likely recovery in both will take longer for women.”
Ethnicity, socio-economic group, disability and age
People from black and non-chinese Asian backgrounds, over-75s and those who are disabled or have longterm health conditions were among those significantly less likely to be active. People with a disability or long-term health conditions have also not seen a recovery in activity levels since restrictions were lifted and remained more than 7 per cent down on 2019.
There were stark differences in location and socio-economic group, with activity levels staying consistent among the most affluent groups during the pandemic but dropping among the least affluent. Sport England emphasised how previous inequalities had widened.
“Certain groups – those who have historically found it more difficult to access activity – were disproportionately impacted, and we know that once habits are broken, they are often harder to restart,” said Tim Hollingsworth, the Sport England chief executive. “Sport England’s challenge now is to build on the work we have already started and ensure that sport and physical activity is central to tackling the inequalities in our communities, and create a movement that delivers for all.”