Live well

Physical activity

It's recognised that regular physical activity has numerous health benefits including improved sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, stress management and improved overall quality of life. Physical inactivity, however, is a major contributor to excess weight and has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. It is estimated to cost the UK £7.4bn each year as a result of the cumulative impact of several factors on the NHS, social care and absenteeism.

Around six out of ten Southwark residents are meeting national physical activity guidelines. Older adults, women, residents coming from Black or ethnic minority groups and people who are overweight are more likely to be inactive.

Associated costs and lack of time are the most common reasons for people not engaging in physical activity. Active travel, defined as ‘walking or cycling as an alternative to motorised transport for the purpose of making everyday journeys’ has been recognised as one of the easiest and most acceptable ways in which physical activity can be incorporated into daily life.

Southwark Public Health together with key partners and stakeholders has produced many documents identifying the local population's needs. Please note that this list will be updated as and when new information becomes available.

Southwark JSNA reports

• Active Travel JSNA 2017 ^{(PDF, 1.1mb)}

Other local plans and strategies

• Southwark Physical Activity Strategy
• Southwark Movement Plan

External resources

• OHID, Physical Activity Profiles: Southwark   
• Sport England, Active People Survey: Southwark Results
• Department for Transport, Walking and Cycling Statistics by Local Authority

Page last updated: 07 February 2024