Edinburgh has been named the most unfit city in Scotland and the UK in a new league table, being beaten by Perth, Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.
Surprisingly, the majority of Scotland’s cities finished at the bottom of the table, with only Perth in 16 and Stirling in 21 performing reasonably well.
Edinburgh came rock bottom in 58 with Glasgow in 52, Inverness in 53, Aberdeen in 55 and Dundee in 56 finishing close by.
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Four determining factors were considered by DNA Lean, who conducted the research, and these were the percentage of active adults, how many people walk or cycle five times per week, plus the number of gyms as well as leisure centres per 100,000 people.
Data from Public Health England, The Scottish Health Survey, the UK Walking and Cycling Index and the Office for National Statistics all helped to form the final table.
Stockport was named the most active area in the UK overall.
Glasgow Live interviewed DNA Lean founder, Paul Jenkins, earlier this week.
On the findings, he said: “I’m not going to say that we’re absolutely right, and further research would definitely be needed - but what we have found is that two crucial factors are expendable income and green spaces.
“Without being too familiar with Scotland, I’m theorising that Perth probably has more income and green spaces. I’m not saying there aren’t any other factors, but those are very significant.
“We used credible data from the Scottish Government, Scottish Health Survey and the Office of National Statistics.
“That being said, our answers aren’t absolute and it would depend on the methodology used.”
Aside from income and green spaces, Paul also believes that the lockdown has had lasting effects on activity levels.
He added: “If you look at World Health Organisation information when it comes to mental health, gym closures and not having access to parks for a while really took a toll on people’s minds.
“The effects haven’t just gone away. We surveyed independent gym owners and many of them told us of gym users who had taken their own lives after a decline in mental health due to closures.
“People are still afraid to leave the house. It’s impossible to ever know for sure how much, but it’s definitely a contributing factor.”
We asked Paul what he thought the solution to declining activity was. He suggested: “Education. Not just from a physiological point of view, but more on the mental side of exercise. How people can use it to benefit all parts of their life.
“Many just see exercise as a tool to stay fit, but it’s much more than that. As well, many areas are lacking in facilities that are accessible for a wide range of people.”
The full study can be found here.
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