Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation

Introduction

This report provides a picture of the physical activity levels of people in Scotland. It uses data from the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) and the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). These data inform our understanding and approach to addressing physical inactivity in Scotland.

SHeS is an annual survey of circa 5000 adults and 2000 children that provides a detailed picture of the health of people living in private households across Scotland. It is designed to support the monitoring of public health, track health trends and inequalities over time, and inform policy by collecting data on a wide range of health-related topics including physical activity. This level of information is not available from administrative or operational databases, as hospitals and GPs are not always able to collect detailed information about people’s health-related behaviours.

The SHS is a large-scale, annual survey that provides evidence on the characteristics, attitudes, and behaviours of people in Scotland. It collects information on households, individuals, and communities, including data on sport participation and recreational walking.

Throughout this report, reference is made to the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Physical Activity Guidelines. These guidelines are based on global evidence and present recommendations for different age groups, covering the volume, duration, frequency and type of physical activity required across the life course to achieve health benefits. Annex A contains a summary of the key recommendations for each age group.

In line with the CMO guidelines, this report describes physical activity across three key stages of life^[2]:

1. Children and young people

2. Adults and

3. Older adults

For each stage, data is presented showing the extent to which that group meets the recommendations in the CMO guidelines, and sets out key trends around inequalities including sex, age, deprivation and disability.

Data tables have been published alongside this report.