Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation

Annex B: Physical activity definitions

Scottish Health Survey

Since 1998, the adult physical activity questions included in the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) have been based, with some modifications, on the Allied Dunbar National Fitness Survey, a major study of physical activity among the adult population in England conducted in 1990^[31].

From 2025, a new module for physical activity has been included in SHeS which means data will not be directly comparable to data from previous years. The new module is shorter but retains the ability to track progress against Chief Medical Officer (CMO) physical activity guidelines.

Adult physical activity

Four main types of physical activity were asked about: Home-based activities (housework, gardening, building work and DIY), Walking, Sports and exercise, and Activity at work.

For the first three categories, participants were asked to report any activities that lasted at least 10 minutes and the number of days in the past four weeks in which they had taken part in such activities.

For walking, participants were also asked on how many days they had taken more than one walk of at least 10 minutes. Where a participant had taken more than one walk, the total time spent walking for that day was calculated as twice the average reported walk time.

In addition, those in full or part-time employment were asked about activity while at work. These participants were asked to rate how physically active they were in their job (options were: very physically active, fairly physically active, not very physically active and not at all physically active). This question on intensity was used in combination with a new question on sedentary activity at work to produce estimates of the duration of moderate activity at work per week.

Intensity level

The CMO Physical Activity Guidelines advise people to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. The intensity level of activities mentioned by participants is estimated to help assess adherence to this guideline. The four categories of physical activity ‘intensity’ are: vigorous, moderate, light and inactive.

Classifying intensity for different activity types

Home-based activities

Home-based activities were classified as either ‘moderate’ or ‘light’ depending on their nature. Participants were given examples of types of housework, gardening, building work and DIY which were described as either ‘heavy’ or ‘light.’ All cases of ‘heavy’ home-based activity were classified as being of ‘moderate’ physical intensity. Light gardening, building work and DIY were all classified as ‘light’ physical intensity.

Walking

For walking, participants were asked to assess their usual walking pace as ‘slow’, ‘steady average’, ‘fairly brisk’ or ‘fast – at least 4 mph.’ For adults aged 16-64, walks of 10 minutes or more at a brisk or fast pace were classified as being of ‘moderate’ intensity. Walks at a slow or steady average pace were classified as ‘light.’ For adults aged 65 and over, walks of 10 minutes or more at a pace described as ‘slow’ or ‘steady average’ were also classified as being of ‘moderate’ intensity if participants said that walking at that pace had resulted in them breathing faster, sweating or feeling warmer.

Sports and exercises

The intensity levels of different sports and exercises was determined by a combination of (a) the MET level of the activity and (b) the participant’s assessment of the amount of effort it involved.

At work

People who reported being ‘very physically active’ at work were classified as moderately active and an estimate of the time spent being active per week was derived from the answer to the question about how much they spent sitting on a typical day at work, and their full or part-time working status. All other responses were counted as light or inactive. No one was classified as vigorously active at work.

Muscle-strengthening activities

Expert advice informed the classification of sports and activities according to their muscle‑strengthening potential. Nine activities were identified as definitely muscle-strengthening, with a further 24 considered potentially so. Participants who reported taking part in any of the potentially muscle‑strengthening activities were then asked a follow‑up question to determine whether the activity had been strenuous enough to build muscle.

Note that the activities asked about in SHeS do not cover the examples of muscle-strengthening activities described within the CMO guidelines.

Child physical activity

The questions on child physical activity included in SHeS since 1998 were based on the 1997 Health Survey for England (HSE) children’s physical activity module. These questions covered: Sports and exercise, Active play, Walking, and Housework or gardening (children aged 8 and over only).

For the purposes of calculating physical activity levels, all reported activities were assumed to be of at least moderate intensity^[32]. The summary measure provided an estimate of both, the average time spent participating in physical activity, and the number of active days in the last week.

A child’s level of physical activity was assigned to one of three categories:

• Meets guidelines – active for an average of at least 60 minutes per day in the last week (meeting the recommended level of activity for children and young people)
• Some activity – active for an average of 30 to 59 minutes per day in the last week
• Low activity – active for less than 30 minutes on average per day in the last week.

Details on the information collected in relation to each of the activity types were as follows:

Walking

Information was gathered on walks of at least 5 minutes duration. Participants (or their parent/guardian if the child was under the age of 13) were asked on how many days in the last week they had done walks of at least this length (5 minutes), and how long in total they spent walking on each of those days.

Children aged 13-15 were also asked about their usual walking pace using the same options as in the adult questionnaire.

Housework or gardening (aged 8-15 only)

Children aged 8 and over, were asked about any ‘housework or gardening that involved pulling or pushing, like hoovering, cleaning a car, mowing grass or sweeping up leaves.’ Only housework or gardening lasting at least 15 minutes was included. Information on the number of days in the last week they had done such activities, and how long they spent doing this on each day was also collected.

Sports and exercise

This category was intended to cover structured or organised sporting activities, and included things like swimming, football, gymnastics and dance lessons. The interview recorded whether the child had participated in any sport and exercise in the last week, on how many week and weekend days they had participated, and the total time spent on sport and exercise at the weekend, and the total time on each weekday. There was no lower time limit for inclusion.

Active play

This category covered less structured activities, like riding a bike, kicking a ball around, running about, playing active games or jumping around. Children were asked whether they had taken part in this kind of ‘active play’ in the last week, and how many week and weekend days they had done so. The total time spent on active play at the weekend, and each weekday was also collected.

School-based activities

Since 2008, children at school have also been asked about any active things they have done as part of lessons. The number of days they did these kinds of activities in lessons in the last week was collected along with information on how long they spent doing them.