Kiwis more active but . . .

AUCKLAND: Kiwis are more physically active than they were six years ago but still lag behind Americans and Britons, a global study has found.

On average, 58% of New Zealanders are physically active, an increase of 6% compared with 2015, according to the Global Observatory for Physical Activity report.

That improvement is already leaving its mark as the percentage of deaths in New Zealand due to physical inactivity dropped 2.1% to 10.6%.

The study, which looked at 217 countries, showed 61% of Kiwi men and 55% of women did at least two and ahalf hours of moderate exercise a week.

New Zealand’s level of physical activity was higher than in Australia which was at 48% and equal to Canada.

It lagged behind both the US and England which sat at 68% and 62% respectively.

‘‘It’s a step in the right direction but we have a long way to go,’’ said AUT professor and head of School of Sport and Recreation Erica Hinckson, who was one of the project’s researchers.

‘‘For a nation like ourselves who pride ourselves on being sporty and being active, it’s not great.’’

Exercise was ‘‘absolutely crucial’’. ‘‘It’s a must for our general health, including our immune system, but also mental health and wellbeing.’’

Ms Hinckson had looked further into the New Zealand Health Survey data and found it was minority groups that contributed to most of the improvement. Physical activity among the Pacific Island community was up almost 3% while Maori were up 2%.

She believed that proved the value of programmes tailored to the local community, such as Healthy Families.

More government funding for locally driven community initiatives was needed in order to make a real difference, she said. It was those sorts of tailored programmes which she believed would get more women active.

Farming used to give Rowena Duncum all the exercise she needed but since moving to town she has had to make an effort to exercise.

Now executive producer of NZME’s The Country, Ms Duncum started the year with a new routine which included at least an hour of exercise each weekday.

Only a month into her new routine Ms Duncum (34) said she was feeling ‘‘pretty amazing’’.

The Dunedin resident said she had lost a lot of the puffiness in her face and was fitting into clothes she had not been able to wear since she ‘‘found her lockdown baking groove’’.

She said she had started slowly and was now enjoying a mix of gym work and swimming.

‘‘Mixing it up’s key. It doesn’t feel like a chore.’’