London

Physical activity
The Active People survey is a year-long project, interviewing more than 350,000 Britons about their physical activity levels. The table is based on the interim results from October 2005 to April 2006, and records ‘the percentage of adults taking part in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport and active recreation (including recreational walking) on three or more days a week’.

It’s no surprise that leafy Richmond tops the list, along with London’s most affluent boroughs. In exactly half of the capital’s boroughs, the participation rate exceeds the national d average of 20.1 per cent. However, more significant is that two of the five Olympic boroughs are rock-bottom of the table, further justifying the decision to use the 2012 Games as a means of improving public health in east London.
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Speaking at the launch of the survey, Sports Minister Richard Caborn was disappointed by the findings: ‘In the last decade, we have invested £3 billion into providing new state-of-the-art facilities that are both accessible and affordable. But the Government can only do so much. Individuals must start to take responsibility for their health and fitness. The public has to get motivated if participation is going to rise.’

However, according to Neville Rigby from the International Obesity Taskforce, ‘The evidence shows that it’s very difficult to sustain longer-term regular exercise. A lot of people are put off by the gym culture and the competition in sports. We need to encourage general activity – walking and climbing stairs – to improve people’s physical fitness.’

People doing 30 minutes of active recreation 3 days per week

(Source: Active People interim survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI for Sport England, 2006)