More than a third of adult Londoners are not doing the recommended levels of exercise, a study revealed on Thursday, as a charity urged Mayoral candidates to tackle the capital’s inactivity crisis.
A survey by London Sport found that 35.8 per cent of Londoners were not achieving the recommended levels of physical activity, the equivalent of 2.6 million adults in the capital.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend 150 minutes of exercise per week to maintain long-term health and prevent diseases including obesity, diabetes and cancer.
Lower socio-economic groups were 20 per cent more likely to be inactive compared to higher earners, the study found.
Rates of inactivity were also found to vary according to borough. Barking and Dagenham had the highest rate of inactivity (39.3 per cent), followed by Havering (33.7 per cent) and Hounslow (32.9 per cent).
The lowest rate of inactivity was seen in Wandsworth (16.2 per cent), Kingston upon Thames (17.1 per cent) and Islington (17.8 per cent).
However, the number of adults classed as obese or overweight in London (55.9 per cent) still remains below the national average (63.8 per cent).
Women were more 4.5 per cent more likely to be inactive than men, which the charity said was due to safety concerns, lower funding for women’s sport and a lack of adequate provision.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) recently set a target for one million more adults and 2.5 million more children to be physically active by 2030. Gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres have complained of high running costs, including a huge spike in energy prices.
Emily Robinson, Chief Executive of London Sport, told the Standard: “This report paints a stark picture of the health and wellbeing of millions of Londoners. With 1 in 6 premature deaths caused by inactivity, we are facing a public health catastrophe that urgently needs to be addressed. That’s why our manifesto is a critical call to action to the Mayoral candidates.
“We must help children build an active habit for life, we must make our parks safe for women and girls, we must protect our pools and sports facilities, and we must break the barriers to sport and physical activity for communities who already face the greatest challenges of inequality.”
London Sport on Thursday launched a manifesto, titled ‘Let’s Move London’, with five key policy ideas to increase exercise in the capital ahead of the 2024 Mayoral Election.
It includes proposals to promote walking in schools, further embed physical activity and wellbeing into the blueprint for planning housing developments and provide incentives to make better use of London’s vacant spaces.
The charity have also called on Mayoral candidates to help create safe environments for women to exercise in, with figures showing that over half (54 per cent) of girls feel their local parks have not been designed with consideration of their needs.
“We urge the Mayor to ensure that these public spaces are appropriately lit, maintained and, where appropriate, include CCTV,” the manifesto reads.
Mayoral candidates should also take action to “prevent widespread closures of swimming pool” and “create outdoor spaces for large development that encourage ball games and other activities that best serve local communities”, it adds.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “Sadiq knows the huge difference that sport can make to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. He is determined that all Londoners are able to take full advantage of these benefits, no matter their personal circumstances.
“His Sports Unites programme supports his long-term vision to make London the most active and socially-integrated city in the world. He was delighted to launch his new Go! London fund earlier this year - his biggest ever community sport fund to improve the accessibility of sport for under-served young Londoners.
“He continues to work with partner organisations to seek new opportunities to support Londoners into sport as part of his work to build a better, safer, more prosperous London for everyone.”
