Adult physical activity (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

• Physical inactivity directly contributes to one in six deaths in the UK the same number as smoking. Around a quarter of us are still classified as inactive, failing to achieve a minimum of 30 minutes of activity a week. In some communities only one in ten adults are active enough to stay healthy. A wealth of evidence shows that an active life is essential for physical and mental health and wellbeing. A number of diseases are currently on the increase and affecting people at an earlier age. They include cancer and diabetes, and conditions like obesity, hypertension and depression. Regular physical activity can guard us against these (PHE, 2014).

• The most recent data published by the Active Lives Survey shows that 61.2% of the 19+ population in South Tyneside are classed as active. This is significantly worse than the national prevalence of 66%
• 12.4% of the 19+ population is classified as fairly active. This is above the national average of 11.8%
• 26.4% of the 19+ population is classified as inactive. This is above the national average of 22.2%
• Estimates indicate that physical inactivity costs South Tyneside over £4,000,000 annually in Healthcare costs
• South Tyneside has a wide range of assets available that can provide opportunities for increasing physical activity levels. The assets include leisure services, parks and green space, sporting facilities and private and community groups that provide a mixture of formal and informal physical activity provision
• Brief advice in primary care has been shown to have a strong evidence base in getting people to become more active
• Walking and Cycling, which can be classified as everyday activities, have shown to be effective in increasing population physical activity levels

• Plan and implement a South Tyneside Physical Activity strategy to provide a strategic and systematic approach to increasing physical activity
• Develop a physical activity offer with the emphasis on everyday activities such as walking and cycling. Take a coordinated approach to promoting these opportunities
• Increase participation in large scale media campaigns locally
• Develop a facility that brings together the physical activity opportunities available throughout South Tyneside in one easy to access location, including public, private and voluntary provision.

Definitions

• Physically active: Any body movement that expends energy and raises the heart rate. A person is defined as being physically active if they achieve 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
• Physically Inactive: A person is defined as being physically inactive if they are engaging in less than 30 minutes physical activity per week
• Sedentary: Time spent in low energy postures e.g. sitting or lying.

Prevalence

• Based on the recent Active Lives Survey published by Sport England, 66% of UK adults (19+) do 150 minutes or more of physical activity. This equates to around 27 million people or six out of every ten adults.
• 11.8% of UK adults are fairly active, achieving between 30 and 149 minutes of physical activity per week. This equates to around 5.6 million adults.
• 22.2% of UK adults are classed as inactive, achieving less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. This equates to around 11.5 million adults

Socioeconomic Groups

• There are differences in inactivity levels between socioeconomic groups. People who are long term unemployed or have never worked (NS SEC 8) are the most likely to be inactive (38%) while those in managerial administrative and professional occupations (NS SEC 1-2) are least likely to be inactive (17%)

Gender

• There is a difference in inactivity levels between men and women. Nationally 27% (6.1 million) of females are classified as inactive compared to 24% (5.3 million) of males.

Age

• Nationally inactivity levels increase with age. Those aged 16 - 24 years old are least likely to be classed as inactive (15%) with those aged 85 + most likely to be inactive (71%).

Disability

• 51% of people who have 3 or more impairments are classified as being inactive. This is compared to 21% of those without a disability.

Level of need

• The most recent data published by the Active Lives Survey shows that 61.2% of the 19+ population in South Tyneside are classed as active. This is significantly worse than the national prevalence of 66%
• 12.4% of the 19+ population is classified as fairly active. This is above the national average of 11.8%
• Locally 26.4% of the 19+ population is classified as inactive. This is above the national average of 22.2%
• Walking is the most likely way all adults can achieve the recommended levels of physical activity and walking for at least 10 minutes on at least five days a week suggests regular walking. In South Tyneside 53.7% of the 16+ population reported walking for ten minutes or more at least five times per week. This is similar to both the regional average (51.2%) and the national average (50.6%)
• The Sport England local sport profile estimates that physical inactivity costs South Tyneside over £4,000,000 in total or £2,700,000 per 100,000 population. This is above the North East average of just over £2,000,000 per 100,000 and the national average of £1,800,000 per 100,000.
• Condition specific values can be found in the table below:

• Participation in sport, defined as at least once per week, has been relatively stable since 2005 / 06. Latest figures show 31.2% of the 16+ population are currently engaging in sport at least once per week.

• There is no strategic plan as a borough to systematically work towards increasing population level physical activity or decreasing population level inactivity levels.
• There is a highlighted gap in the coordination of community wide physical activity interventions that focus on everyday activities, namely walking and cycling.
• There is no current provision for a facility that brings together the physical activity opportunities available throughout South Tyneside in one place.
• There is a need to increase the awareness of the opportunities that exist to use parks and open spaces for informal physical activity

Leisure Services

• South Tyneside Council leisure services offer a wide range of physical activity provision and opportunities across the borough. There are currently 5 leisure centres located across South Tyneside. These are:
  • Jarrow Focus
  • Hebburn Central
  • Monkton Stadium
  • Temple Park Leisure Centre
  • Haven Point Leisure Centre

The leisure programme offers gym sessions, exercise classes and an extensive swimming programme as well as providing a base for many of the boroughs community and private organisations.

Outdoor Education

• South Tyneside Council's Outdoor Education Service offers a wide range of physical activity provision and opportunities both inside and outside the borough for the benefit of residents.

• There are currently two centres located inside South Tyneside:
  • Simonside Climbing Wall
  • Water Activities Centre
• There are also currently two centres located outside of South Tyneside:
  • Akenshawburn Cottages, Kielder, Northumberland
  • Thurston Outdoor Education Centre, Coniston, Cumbria
• The outdoor education programme offers:
  • evening-based open-access climbing sessions
  • a range of accreditation opportunities such as; First Aid, Mayors, John Muir and Duke of Edinburgh's Awards
  • volunteering opportunities
  • an extensive group-based activity programme

Road Safety

• South Tyneside Council has a road safety team which has the remit for providing road safety training to all year three pupils in the borough. The road safety team also provide bikeability training to year four and five pupils to develop their skills and confidence and encourage cycling to and from school.

Parks and Green Space

• South Tyneside Council manages a number of parks and green spaces including grass sports pitches, walkways, cycle routes, parks, beaches, coastal paths and allotments. These offer a range of opportunities for formal and informal physical activity.

Third Sector Provision

• South Tyneside has a wide variety of charitable and voluntary sector organisations that provide physical activity provision and are well placed to motivate individuals to become more active.

Sporting Facilities

• South Tyneside has a number of sporting facilities both public and privately owned:

• Public Health England published a robust evidence summary of what works in terms of increasing population level physical activity levels. A summary of their findings is found below.

One to one interventions

• There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of counselling and brief advice in primary care to increase an individual's physical activity. NICE recommends that primary care practitioners identify those who are inactive; deliver programmes of brief advice including follow-up; incorporate brief advice in commissioning; and implement systems to support brief advice. Physical Activity is part of the Royal College of General Practitioners current clinical priorities.

Environment

• Nice recommend that Local Authorities prioritise the creation and maintenance of environments that encourage people to be active. Features of the built environment that can have an impact on physical activity levels include the following:      
  • Location, density and mix of land use
  • Street layout and connectivity
  • Physical access to public services, employment, local fresh food
  • Safety and security
  • Open and green space
  • Affordable and energy-efficient housing
  • Air quality and noise
  • Resilience to extreme weather events
  • Community interaction
  • Transport
• It is therefore key that public health work closely with town and transport planners in ensuring health is part of an areas local plan development.
• There is supportive evidence that physical activity levels are related to the built environment and urban structure, and that altering the environment can encourage greater activity. For example, the probability of obesity is lower in areas where there is land-use mix (ie. the area has a mix of residential, commercial, office and institutional uses), and also where streets are 'pedestrian permeable'. (FPH)
• At street level, walking has been increased in neighbourhoods through the provision of pavements, motor-traffic reduction strategies, better street connectivity and improved perceived neighbourhood safety. At the community level, proximity to and availability of walking trails, parks, and functional greenspaces, playgrounds and recreation areas are associated with more walking. Improving aesthetics and the safety of parks, leisure facilities and open spaces further enhances attendance and use. Furthermore, design of workplaces, stairwells and school playgrounds can affect physical activity levels. Research suggests that physical activity levels can be further enhanced through effective targeted promotional activities to encourage their use. (FPH)

Social Environment

• People are more likely to be active if it is seen as 'normal'. Large, community-wide campaigns have been effective in increasing physical activity, but only when supported by local level community activities.
• Site-specific communications can work well, at key community sites such as workplaces, churches, centres for older people, or schools and community centres. The strongest evidence for this impact comes from signs placed to encourage stair use instead of escalators (NICE, 2008)

Walking and Cycling - Activities of Daily Living

• Recent UK initiatives have shown the effectiveness of town-wide cycling and walking programmes. NICE recommends promoting cycling for transport and recreational purposes, linked to existing national and local initiatives. These should include provision of information, including maps and route signage along with initiatives such as fun rides; recreational and sponsored group rides; school sports promotions; and links with cycle sports events and cycle hire schemes.
• Walking should also be encouraged at community level. For example through linking supportive infrastructure (ie, footpaths and pedestrianised areas) to community-level walking programmes, promotions and events, such as mass participation walking groups, community challenges
• Group led walks

• Children's Physical Activity

Last Updated: April 2018