Scots 'more physically active' than people in rest of the UK

People in Scotland are more physically active than those in any other parts of the UK, a report has said.

The analysis by the Global Observatory for Physical Activity showed 64% of adults took part in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

That is the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended minimum to meet a growing public health challenge.

In England the figure is 59%, with Northern Ireland (53%) and Wales (29%) also lower than Scotland.

The WHO includes walking and gardening as well as cleaning in its definition of physical activity.

The study looked at 131 different countries and included rates of activity, percentage of deaths from inactivity, as well as other data such as the number of researchers engaged in physical activity work.

The Scottish figures were based on the Scottish Health Survey of 2013.

The Scottish government highlighted a sharp increase in schools providing two hours of physical education a week in the past decade.

Work still to be done

Jamie Hepburn, minister for sport, health improvement and mental health, said: "It is encouraging to see that people in Scotland are more likely to hit physical activity guidelines than those in other parts of the UK. The guidelines say that all adults should take 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.

"It's important to stress that this is moderate activity. Walking, gardening and even cleaning all count towards your total. Failing to be active can have serious consequences for your health. It is linked to a host of health conditions including heart disease, strokes, dementia and cancer."

The data on Scotland was compiled by Prof Nanette Mutrie, chair in physical activity for health at the University of Edinburgh.

Prof Mutrie said: "This is good news for the health in Scotland because physical activity confers both physical and mental health benefits.

"But we must not be complacent because some segments of the population have low levels of physical activity.

"For example a very small percentage of older adults achieve the recommended physical activity levels and they are therefore missing major health benefits from activity.

"Scottish policy should continue to promote walking as one the easiest place for low active people to start to increase everyday activity."