New Active Lives Adult Survey results also show evidence of the positive impacts of activity on mental health
The highest ever levels of activity have been recorded in Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Survey, with 1 million more people physically active than when the survey began.
Lee Mason CEO of Active Partnerships said “we are delighted to learn that more people are benefiting from leading active lifestyles and the network of Active Partnerships across the country will continue to support organisations and work collaboratively with partners to ensure that this trend continues”
Based on data gathered from 180,000 respondents (aged 16+) in the 12 months from May 2018 to May 2019, 1,015,700 more people are active compared to when the survey started, in 2015.
The results show that this improvement has been driven by women and older adults (aged 55+) – groups Sport England are focused on in their Towards an Active Nation strategy, which Active Partnerships help deliver. SE campaigns focused on this age group include This Girl Can, a £10 million fund for projects that support people aged 55+ to get active and by supporting new opportunities for running such as our £3 million investment into parkrun.
The report also makes clear the mental health benefits of being active. When asked to rate their mental health on a scale of 0-10, active people reported feeling:
· More satisfied with their lives
· Happier
· More likely to feel the things they do in life are worthwhile
· Less anxious.
To read the full report visit https://www.sportengland.org/media/14239/active-lives-adult-may-18-19-report.pdf
To find details of your local Active Partnership visit http://www.activepartnerships.org/active-partnerships or contact Nicki Couzens ncouzens@ActivePartnerships.org