More than a third of adults inactive in most deprived places – Sport England

More than a third of adults living in the country’s most deprived areas are not getting enough physical activity, according to new research by Sport England.

The public body warned of a “postcode lottery” as its findings showed 34% of less affluent adults fell within the category, compared with only 20% from the least deprived areas.

It comes as Sport England announced plans to invest in activity levels in more than 50 new places currently struggling to provide it, including major cities such as Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton.

Women, people from lower socio-economic groups and black and Asian people still remain less likely to be active than other adults, while less than half of children currently meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for daily physical activity.

A Sport England report published last year found healthy, active lifestyles save the health and care system £10.5 billion a year by relieving pressure on the NHS, preventing chronic illnesses and saving money through reduced use of health services such as mental health support.

The body will partner with local organisations and leaders in 53 places who understand what facilities are available to support people to play sport and get active in their respective communities.

It has been testing its “Place-based approach” since 2018 by taking a bespoke approach to each area, identifying the major barriers to activity that each place faces and working to dismantle them.

Recent examples include using football, gardening and walking to integrate refugees into the communities, influencing housing plans in Exeter and providing gentle dance classes for older people to help them rehabilitate after a fall.

Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: “It is unacceptable that for many children and adults, their postcode, background and income dictate how active and healthy they can be – even affecting how long they might live.

“Inequality in activity levels damage health and undermine growth; we want to end the postcode lottery for physical activity.

“Uniting the Movement’s mission is to make sure we all have the opportunity to lead an active life, which is essential for the growth agenda too. Sport and physical activity are not just good for health; they are acts of economic contribution.”

Chair Chris Boardman said health inequalities had “become embedded in our communities” and that rising levels of inactive children were “a ticking time bomb for the long-term health and wealth of the country” that must be addressed urgently.

Sport England invests up to £300 million of National Lottery and Government money annually into projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport.

The full list of places securing new investment was: