Almost 30% of people on the Isle of Wight fail to walk for ten consecutive minutes a week, according to the Department for Transport.
Public Health England has encouraged adults to walk for at least ten minutes a day, but 29% of people in the area don’t manage one ten minute walk a week. Across England the rate is 31%.
Higher than average weekly walking rate
Figures from Sport England’s Active Lives Survey show that the Isle of Wight has a higher than average weekly walking rate.
A ten-minute walk could include walking to work or to the shops, as well as taking a walk specifically for recreation or exercise.
Purpose of survey
The annual Active Lives survey, which ran from November 2016 to November 2017, asked a random sample of 515 adults over the age of 16 on the Isle of Wight how active they had been in the past four weeks.
Sport England, which conducted the survey, aims to help get everyone in England to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity.
It focuses much of its work on programmes that help people who do very little or no physical activity, and groups who are typically less active.
Walking campaign
In June, Public Health England and the Royal College of GPs launched a campaign to promote the health benefits of taking a brisk ten-minute walk every day.
PHE’s physical activity lead Dr Mike Brannan said:
“While we’re starting to see more people being active, getting the nation moving presents a significant challenge and won’t be solved overnight.”
Surge in Type 2 diabetes
Dr Brannan said that being physically active reduces the risk of serious illnesses, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, which is predicted to surge on the Isle of Wight by 2035.
He added,
“For most people, walking or cycling is the easiest way to be active.
“Even a ten-minute brisk walk every day can make a real difference to your health.”
Recreational strolls
On the Isle of Wight people were more likely to walk as a leisure activity than for travel.
Some 58% of people said they took a recreational stroll at least once a week, compared with 37% that travelled at least once a week on foot.
Countrywide comparison
Walking was least popular in Fenland, where 43% of survey respondents admitted they didn’t manage a weekly ten-minute walk.
The most dedicated walkers were found in Canterbury, where 45% of people took a ten-minute walk at least five times a week.
Government investment
In 2017 the Department for Transport announced it would be investing £1.2 billion of funding into helping more people to walk and cycle.
It is investing an extra £620,000 on outreach programmes to encourage children to walk to school.
Transport Minister Jesse Norman said:
“Cycling and walking provide enormous benefits to both public health and the environment, and it’s good to see evidence that people are opting for a more active lifestyle.
“But it is also clear that as a cycling and walking nation the UK has a long way to go to match the best international models.”
Article shared by Data Reporter as part of OnTheWight’s collaboration with Press Association and Urbs Media
Image: © Nick Edwards
