Wolverhampton ranked 12th worst local authority in England for adults who exercise

A worrying 30.5 per cent of the city’s adults are physically inactive, which is 5 per cent higher than the regional average and 8.2 per cent higher than the national average – and numbers are rising year on year.

The disturbing trend has prompted health bosses to draw up a draft physical activity strategy to try and get people moving more or taking up some form of regular exercise. It will go before the council’s cabinet next Wednesday before being presented to Wolverhampton Health and Wellbeing Together board.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, cabinet member for adults and wellbeing, said: “Whatever your age, there’s strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life and reduce your risk of developing major illnesses like coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

“Research shows that it can also boost your self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy levels, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression and dementia. Being physically active is the miracle cure we’ve always had available to us, but too many people in our city are not taking their recommended dose – and their health is now suffering as a result.

“We also recognise that being healthy and feeling good is about more than simply not being ill. Lots of different factors shape our health and wellbeing – where we live, our education, income, the type of job we do, our lifestyles, access to green spaces, and the connections we have with other people.

“But we can change that. Together, we can create an environment where our residents can live longer, healthier and more active lives, and where every child in the city has the best start in life,” she added.

“We will do this by working in partnership with health and social care, the voluntary sector, faith and community groups, businesses, education and delivery partners and by listening to local people, understanding their experiences, and making decisions informed by health data from our local population.

“We will also continue to support those who take part in regular sport and physical activity to carry on doing so, and back our city’s wonderful clubs and other organisations who deliver a fantastic range of opportunities for our residents. This is an exciting chance for stakeholders to work together to make Wolverhampton a city that helps its residents to get moving more, and to enjoy the many benefits that enjoying an active lifestyle can offer.”

The draft strategy, which has been specifically designed to inspire and support adults and children to move more and build activity into their daily lives, focuses on four themes:

• Active Wulfrunians – creating a city where everyone is physically active every day and understands the benefits of being active and how to be active in a way that suits their ability.

• Active City – creating and promoting suitable activities, programmes and infrastructure which enables residents to engage in regular physical activity that meets their needs.

• Active Spaces and Places – creating a city where community spaces are enhanced, invested in and protected, and which encourage and promote physical activity.

• Active Systems – working collaboratively as a whole system to create leadership, governance and partnerships that enable practice and protocols to promote physical activity across all sectors.

In a report to cabinet members, head of partnerships for public health Richard Welch said: “Wolverhampton as a city has significant health inequalities. Not only does it have lower than average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, but it also has high levels of physical inactivity. This contributes to other health inequalities and is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK.

“Physical inactivity is equal to that of smoking and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion a year. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of disease and disability in the UK and is responsible for up to 40 per cent of long-term health conditions and 30 per cent of later life functional limitations and falls. This document will set the city’s strategic direction for physical activity until 2030.”

The draft strategy can be viewed at tinyurl.com/bdhp74jf