Activity habits in early weeks of lockdown revealed

The Coronavirus report from Sport England provides a snapshot of people’s behaviours and attitudes between mid-March and mid-May and covers the period when restrictions across the country were introduced. Using data from the Active Lives Adult Survey, this report gives the most detailed insight yet into how people adapted their activity habits in the first few weeks of restrictions.

The reports show that more than 3 million people were less active between mid-March and mid-May compared to the same period a year before, demonstrating the extent to which people’s lives were disrupted.

They also highlight the importance of organised sport and access to facilities for specific groups, and that some groups found it more difficult to adapt to the new regulations than others.

Disabled people, people aged 70 and over, people with long-term health conditions and people from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups were disproportionately impacted.

Lockdown

In lockdown itself, positive government messages about getting outside once a day for exercise played an important role in reminding people about the importance of activity for their health.

The data showed that people turned to home-based fitness, running and cycling during lockdown, and more than 21 million adults walked at moderate intensity.

For more information, view the report here.