Physical activity data published
Data on physical activity levels commissioned by the Department of Health has been published on the National Obesity Observatory website.
Data on physical activity levels commissioned by the Department of Health has been published on the National Obesity Observatory website.
The data, collected by the Active People Survey which is commissioned by Sport England, measures the number of adults (aged 16 years and over) in England participating in sport or undertaking some form of physical activity at moderate intensity.
The Department commissioned Sport England to include a number of questions in their existing survey and to carry out further analysis around participation in a wider range of activities at a moderate intensity.
In addition to sport and recreational cycling and walking, these additional activities were included:
- cycling and walking for active travel purposes
- dancing
- gardening
This data should help support local planning and delivery of physical activity services.
More about the data
The data covers the period from April 2010 to April 2011 and is broken down at national, regional, county sports partnership and local authority level.
It includes percentages of people who are doing either zero, one or five sessions of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
About the National Obesity Observatory
The National Obesity Observatory provides a single point of contact for wide-ranging authoritative information on data, evaluation and evidence related to weight status and its determinants. It also works closely with a number of organisations and provides support to policy makers and practitioners involved in obesity and related issues.