Active Suffolk - June Insight Newsletter

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INSIGHT NEWSLETTER

Hello, and welcome to the June edition of the Active Suffolk Insight newsletter!

Lots included in this edition of the newsletter, with three main themes running throughout it - the analysis of current physical activity levels, active travel and associated health benefits, and finally the wider determinants of health - particularly the cost of living and hybrid working practices.

Firstly, we've got analysis from the latest Active Lives survey data - released right at the end of April - including Suffolk breakdowns, with information from Moving Communities' national report on how leisure facilities are recovering as we emerge from the pandemic. Relating to active travel, Sustrans have completed the Walking and Cycling Index and have issued their findings, while Healthy Suffolk have produced a cost of living dashboard for the county. The Office for National Statistics have published findings on working attitudes, and finally NICE have reported findings on supporting individuals to be active while living with osteoarthritis.

As ever, if you wish to have a specific topic explored in further detail, or you have an insight related question - please get in contact with us here.

  

Sport England - Latest Adult Active Lives Survey Results

At the end of April, Sport England released the latest Active Lives Survey data for all adults in England between November 2020 to November 2021. The report produced by Sport England includes a summary of the coronavirus timeline, with the implications restrictions had on our day to day lives.

For Suffolk, 59.7% of adults were meeting chief medical officer recommendations of 150+ minutes of physical activity each week, a decrease of 3.4% from the survey's data in the previous 12 months. Nationally, 61.4% of adults are classified as active, with Suffolk a slight 1.6% below the national average.

Data can be viewed within our report on the Suffolk breakdown, which can be viewed by clicking the adjacent image - this provides local authority level data, as well as a nearest neighbour analysis, and Eastern region Active Partnership comparison.

An interactive PowerBI dashboard of the data can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, the Sport England Active Lives survey report can be viewed by clicking here.

  

Moving Communities - Sector Recovery

The latest report from Sport England - using the sector recovery analysis - focuses on how facilities have performed since reopening, exploring how recovery has varied across different demographic groups, activities, facility types and regions.

Collating data nationally from across 793 sites, Sport England is aware that in the Eastern region, throughput (the amount of visits to leisure facilities) is at 69% for April 2021-January 2022, when compared to the same period in 2019/20. This is slightly below the national average of 71%. Nationally, the throughput for rural areas is below the national average at 67%.

Further detail within the report includes data at a national level broken down by demographic, activity types and age of facilities; while also included is an analysis of the impact physical activity participation within leisure centres has on society - the cost benefit/social value calculation as a result. These figures are broken down further into health savings for specific categories including subjective wellbeing, individual development and community and social development.

The full report can be viewed by clicking the image.

  

Ban on pavement parking would encourage more people to walk and wheel

The former Bike Life survey by Sustrans is now called the Walking and Cycling Index - studying walking, wheeling and cycling. It has highlighted the issue of pavement parking in urban areas across the UK and determined that banning pavement parking would help 70% of residents to walk or wheel more.

The survey was completed by 24,000 people from 18 cities and areas across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - the survey looked at infrastructure, travel behaviours, the impact of cycling and new initiatives. In addition to the findings on banning pavement parking, 72% of residents believe wider pavements would allow them to walk or wheel further; pavement parking is currently banned in London, with the UK government considering extending this across England.

  

Healthy Suffolk - Cost of living profile for Suffolk

Our colleagues at Healthy Suffolk have produced a profile summarising the cost of living for our county. Given the rises in cost of living both nationally and locally, the profile has been produced to update in real time as and when the latest data becomes available.

The cost of living is defined at the average amount of money that individuals need to cover basic expenses - such as food and housing. While all of us will be affected by these increases, the impact will be greatest felt by those who are already under financial pressure.

The dashboard can be viewed here.

  

Is hybrid working here to stay?

The Office for National Statistics has conducted analysis into working patterns as we get used to the 'new normal' after all coronavirus restrictions caused by the pandemic have been removed. The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) found that almost half of working adults were working at home at times during the pandemic, with most of these individuals planning to continue to work both at home, and in the workplace in the future.

Over 8 in 10 workers who had to work from home during the pandemic said they planned to hybrid work going forwards; rising from 13% of workers utilising hybrid work in February 2022 to 24% in May 2022. This is twinned with the number of people working from home exclusively dropping from 22% to 14% in the same period. There are some really insightful graphs within the report detailing attitudes to home working and hybrid working, which are well worth a view - the most dominant segment includes individuals who plan to work mostly from home and sometimes from my usual place of work in February 2022, at 42%.

Interestingly, hybrid working was more common among those in higher income brackets, and was the most common working pattern for those earning £40,000 or more, while travelling to work was the most common working pattern among all other income groups.

  

NICE - Healthier lifestyles can help to ease osteoarthritis symptoms

According to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) in their updated draft guidelines, exercise has a significant role to play in helping people living with osteoarthritis. From clinical studies, individuals with osteoarthritis who are supported with tailored exercise classes such as muscle strengthening and aerobic exercise can achieve good health outcomes.

Included in the recommendations are the acknowledgements that health professionals should support people with who are overweight, by helping them to choose a weight loss goal and assisting them to manage symptoms. Weight loss has a significant impact on health outcomes for a range of conditions, but it also helps significantly reduce joint pain for those with osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a result of changes caused in the whole joint that can cause discomfort and pain; it's the most common form of arthritis, which is one of the leading causes of pain and disability worldwide.

  

News

 

Active Suffolk reaffirms commitment as an anti-racist organisation

Following the tragic death of George Floyd two years ago, Active Suffolk, the Active Partnership for the county reaffirms... Read More »

 

Suffolk residents encouraged to use their Quiet Lanes

People in Suffolk are being encouraged to explore more of the beautiful countryside on their doorstep through the growing... Read More »

 

Group to tackle loneliness and isolation launched in Sudbury

A new Sporting Memories club was recently launched in Sudbury at Kingfisher Leisure Centre. (18 May)

The Sporting Memories... Read More »

 

Over £2.5million of investment from Sport England over the next five years has been confirmed

Active Suffolk is amongst a group of over 120 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to level up access... Read More »

  
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