Unmet needs
There are many reasons why some people are not able to reach recommended levels of physical activity in their lives. It is now harder for a lot of people to include physical activity in their daily lives. Many people now lead more sedentary lifestyles, with fewer manual and physical jobs, greater use of technology and screens and increased car use. There are also financial barriers for some residents, and these challenges have increased with the recent cost-of-living crisis. Many people also walk less than previous generations, either because they have less access to outdoor spaces, feel unsafe or prefer to use cars for short journeys.
It is difficult to quantify the exact level of unmet need relating to physical activity. However, in simple terms, if 37.8% of adults aged 19+ and 45.7% of children aged 5-15 are not reaching recommended levels of physical activity, this equates to over 75,000 residents, based on 2023 population estimates. This will be an underestimate as it does not include unmet need in under 5s or young people aged 16-18.
However, 26.8% of adults aged 19+ are physically inactive and engaging in less than 30 minutes of activity a week. These 45,000 residents could be a priority area of unmet need (as the remaining 18,000 adults above are at least getting some activity).
As above, there are inequities in who leads an active lifestyle, so there is likely to be more unmet need in the groups discussed in section 4 of this document.
The reasons behind this unmet need are a complex mix of barriers and perceived barriers to being more active, and the new Physical Activity Strategy should aim to address some of them to reduce the levels of unmet need.