Sport England survey shows rise in activity levels in Basingstoke and Deane

Findings from the Sport England Active Lives Survey show that, for the second year in a row, adults in Basingstoke and Deane are more active than they had been 12 months prior.

The research, which considers the amount of time people spend doing physical activity each week, covers the 12 months ending November 2018.

During that period, 69.8% of adults in Basingstoke and Deane were reported to be active (doing over 150 minutes of physical activity a week) with 11.6% fairly active (30-149 minutes) and 18.6% inactive (less than 30 minutes).

This compares to respective figures of 63.6%, 11.6% and 24.8% from the previous period and means that over 9,000 more residents than before are now doing in excess of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

These results compare favourably with the figures for the south east (65.9% active) and England (62.6% active).

Councillor Simon Bound, cabinet member for communities, culture and partnerships, said: “We are committed to ensuring that our residents are healthy and taking part in physical activity so this is great news for Basingstoke and Deane.

“Physical activity has many proven benefits in addition to helping with keeping fit and losing weight. Activity can also help with mental wellbeing, offer socialising opportunities and it can also provide a source of enjoyment.

“Although more people are doing physical activity, we recognise that 42,200 residents of the borough are still doing less than the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

“The council’s Health and Wellbeing Team will continue to work with local partners in the Basingstoke Sport and Physical Activity Alliance to help towards maintaining this positive trend.”

The Basingstoke Health Walks scheme is just one of many ways to get active locally.

Regular walks take place around the borough each week and you can find the full schedule on the council website at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/healthwalks.