Inequalities
It is important to recognise and understand the current inequalities in relation to physical activity. Local data shows that inequalities exist across a range of different population groups, as described below. Inequalities in physical activity result from a range of cultural, social, economic and environmental factors, with the inequality gap being greater where these factors overlap. These factors are examined further in Section 5.
The 2021 Current Living in Kirklees (CLiK) adult population survey shows that, while 51% of adults meet the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, 21% of adults in Kirklees are 'inactive' (reporting under 30 minutes of physical activity in an average week), with significant variation between different demographic groups.
- People age 75+ are 2.5 times more likely to be inactive than people aged 19-74
- People with a disability are twice as likely to be inactive as people without a disability
- People living in our most deprived areas are three times more likely to be inactive than people in our least deprived areas (comparing areas defined by the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation as being amongst the most and least deprived 20% in England)
- People of Pakistani ethnicity are 1.5 times more likely to be inactive than people of Indian ethnicity, and 2.6 times more likely to be inactive than people of White British ethnicity.
These patterns of inactivity broadly reflect the national findings from Sport England's Active Lives Survey and are generally consistent over time (comparing the latest data with CLiK 2016 and Active Lives Survey 2017/18).
Significantly higher levels of physical inactivity in Kirklees can also be seen across a range of other population factors, including:
- Education level: not qualified to level 2
- Household income: below £20,000 per year
- Employment status: workless.
Physical inactivity also correlates with a range of other poor health outcomes and health-related behaviours, including higher rates of inactivity amongst people who:
- Have self-reported mental health conditions
- Have lower levels of emotional wellbeing, life satisfaction and happiness
- Are obese
- Smoke
- Do not regularly access local parks and green spaces.
For CLiK survey respondents who did not meet the recommended guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, the most common perceived barriers to being more physically active included:
- A lack of time (46%)
- A lack of free or affordable local facilities or activities (36%)
- Not having someone to go with (33%)
- Not feeling safe enough in public open spaces (26%)
- Not knowing what activities, facilities, clubs and groups exist in the local area (22%)
- Not knowing what activities are suitable for someone like me (22%).
The order of these responses varied in different parts of Kirklees:
- 'Lack of free or affordable local facilities or activities' was the most common perceived barrier in Ashbrow and Dewsbury East
- 'Not having someone to go with' was the most common perceived barrier in Crosland Moor and Netherton and Dalton
- 'Not feeling safe enough in public open spaces' was the most common perceived barrier in Dewsbury West.
In combination, these findings suggest that physical inactivity levels are influenced by a range of population characteristics and place-based factors. Data on physical activity levels at ward level can be found in the CLiK 2021 dashboard
