Physical Activity

Level of need

  1. Activity and inactivity levels
    In North Tyneside, 62.2% of adults are physically active, this has decreased from the previous reporting period and is lower than the England value of 67.1%. Conversely, 26.8% of adults are inactive (i.e. they do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week). This is higher than the England value but has not changed since the previous reporting period.

    Whilst adults in North Tyneside are less likely to be active than England overall, the reverse is true for children, with 53.8% achieving at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day through play, sports and other activities. This is also an increase on the previous reporting period.

    The most recent Sport England data shows that 48.9% of adults in England walked for leisure at least twice in the previous 28 days and this is slightly higher in North Tyneside at 49.5%. However, locally only 30.3% used walking as a method of travel in the previous 28 days compared to 31.6% in England, so there may be more to do to promote this as a method of active travel.

    In terms of children, the same dataset shows that 52.7% of children in North Tyneside walked to school in the previous 7 days compared to 43.4% England, which is positive. Also, 36.7% reported going on a walk (i.e. walking for leisure) compared to 34.9% in England overall.
     

  2. Prevalence of conditions linked to inactivity
    There are several health conditions where inactivity is a risk factor, or where those living with the condition are less physically active. Table 1 below shows this in more detail and shows a higher prevalence of some in North Tyneside.
    Table 1 – Inequalities in conditions linked to inactivity
     

    Condition Prevalence in North Tyneside Prevalence in England
    Obesity and overweight (adults) 63.2% 64%
    Obesity and overweight (children) 36.8% 35.8%
    High blood pressure 17.2% 14.8%
    Diabetes 8.3% 7.7%
    Stroke 2.6% 1.9%
    Depression 15.1% 13.2%
    Long-term MSK conditions 21.6% 17.9%
    Hip fractures in people aged 65+ 609 per 100,000 547 per 100,000
    Emergency hospital admissions due 
    to falls in people aged 65+    		 3,216 per 100,000 1,984 per 100,000
  3. Burden of inactivity
    The economic burden of physical inactivity is considerable as there are direct costs associated with treating preventable chronic health conditions and indirect costs from loss of productivity etc. Physical inactivity is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK, which is the same as smoking. It is estimated to cost the economy over £7 billion per year.

    The World Health Organisation estimated that almost 500 people will develop non-communicable diseases attributable to physical inactivity between 2020 and 203012 . This could cost $27 billion annually if action is not taken. Other subsequent studies have estimated a higher burden at over $46 billion per year.
    The ‘burden’ of a particular health issue can be qualified by the number of years lived with a disability (YLDs) or disability adjusted life years (DALYs) it causes in a defined population. The Global Burden of Disease study14 allows analysis of health loss os that health systems can be improved and disparities eliminated. Deaths, DALYs and YLDs can be attributed to certain conditions or risk factors. Unfortunately, physical inactivity is not one of the key metrics, however there is data on some of the conditions and issues linked to inactivity. For example, in 2021 in North Tyneside:
    • Over 1,200 years were lost per 100,000 of the population (e.g. >1,200 YLDs) due to diabetes and chronic kidney disease and it is estimated that up to 100% of this was due to risk factors (but it cannot be quantified how much of this is due to physical inactivity at a local level)
    • Over 740 years were lost per 100,000 of the population (e.g. >740 YLDs) due to musculoskeletal disorders. Almost 40% of all back pain is due to risk factors, along with 27% of osteoarthritis (but it cannot be quantified how much of this is due to physical inactivity at a local level)
    • Over 280 years were lost per 100,000 of the population (e.g. >280 YLDs) due to cardiovascular diseases. Over 90% of heart disease is attributable to risk factors along with almost 80% of strokes (but it cannot be quantified how much of this is due to physical inactivity at a local level).

    As above, people with long-term MSK conditions are more likely other long-term conditions than the general population. This places a further burden on the health and quality of life of those affected and potentially further burdens on the health and social care system.