Relationship between physical activity and health
About 2 mins
Key points
- Local authorities that have a high share of adults who regularly walk and cycle tend to also have lower obesity rates.
- In England, 64% of adults are overweight or obese and only 34% of adults walk or cycle five times per week, on average.
- Eight out of the ten local authorities with the lowest obesity rates were in London.
- A majority of adults are overweight or obese in nearly all local authorities, while a minority of adults walk or cycle more than five times per week in nearly all local authorities.
Increasing physical activity and minimising the time spent sitting down helps to maintain a healthy weight and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and depression. The NHS recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
This chart shows the relationship between the share of adults who self-identified as overweight (with a body mass index of over 25kg/m²) and the share of adults who walk or cycle regularly, by local authority in England in 2022/23.
- The lowest obesity rates are mostly seen in a few London boroughs (45% to 50%), Cambridge (50%) and Elmbridge (51%), and cycling and walking rates were higher than average in these places.
- Regions outside London tend to have higher levels of obesity. The areas with the highest rates of adults who are overweight or obese are County Durham, Wirral, Cannock Chase and Gosport, all above 74%. With the exception of Gosport, regular walking and cycling rates are below average in these areas.
The chart shows a simple association between the two variables. Other factors are likely to contribute to these findings (such as commuting patterns or access to cycling routes) and this can be a two-way relationship, with higher obesity rates likely to mean less cycling and walking in each area and vice versa.
- Adults (aged 18 years and older) are defined as overweight (including obese) if their self-reported body mass index is greater than or equal to 25kg/m2.
- Walking refers to any continuous walking of more than 10 minutes, irrespective of purpose; and cycling refers to any cycling, irrespective of length or purpose.
Source: Department for Transport, Walking and cycling statistics, England, 2023; Department of Health and Social Care, Percentage of adults (aged 18 plus) classified as overweight or obese, England, 2022/23
