Percentage of adults walking and cycling for travel at least three days per week is down, shows new data

The physical activity data tool presents data on physical activities including walking and cycling at local level for England. The latest release includes an update on the percentage of adults walking and cycling for travel at least three days per week

The Physical Activity tool is part of a series of products produced by Public Health England providing local data alongside national comparisons to support local health improvement. 

The physical activity data tool presents data on physical activities including walking and cycling at local level for England. The latest release includes an update on the percentage of adults walking and cycling for travel at least three days per week.

This release also includes minor updates to the physically active and physically inactive indicators, including previous time points for the new local authority geographies that came into being in April 2019 and the inequality breakdown by education level. The aim of the tool is to help promote physical activity, develop understanding and support the benchmarking, commissioning and improvement of services locally.

Public Health England intends to add indicators and improve the tool in future, and would welcome feedback to help do this: please send any feedback to: profilefeedback@phe.gov.uk

About the tool and the data

The tool brings together data for England on physical activity, including walking and cycling, as well as data on related risk factors and conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The tool presents data at local level to help promote physical activity, develop understanding, and support benchmarking, commissioning and service improvement.

The data is grouped into three domains: Key Indicators; Related Conditions and Supporting Information. The Key Indicators provide a summary overview of physical activity and includes a number of key outcomes from the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF); including the percentage of physically active adults, and physically inactive adults. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of a number of health conditions, such as (colon / breast) cancer, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and depression. 

Physical inactivity is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality, accounting for 6% of deaths globally. People who have a physically active lifestyle have a 20-35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke compared to those who have a sedentary lifestyle. Regular physical activity is also associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and colon/breast cancer and with improved mental health. In older adults physical activity is associated with increased functional capacities.

PHE has co-produced the Everybody active, every day framework. This is a national, evidence-based approach to support all sectors to embed physical activity into the fabric of daily life and make it an easy, cost-effective and ‘normal’ choice in every community in England. To make everybody active, every day a reality we need to monitor progress and measure the impact at a population, organisational, programme and individual level. The Physical Activity tool provides evidence at population level and can help promote physical activity at an organisation, programme and individual level. The Supporting Information domain provides population demographic information as well as life expectancy and deprivation values. Supporting information also provides population demographic information as well as life expectancy and deprivation values.