March 2024
People from BAME backgrounds 'far less likely' to be physically active

29 Jan 2020

People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are still far less likely to be physically active – despite efforts to tackle the deep-rooted inequalities in activity levels.

The issue has been laid bare in a new report, which also shows that BAME groups are also far less likely to volunteer in sport and enjoy the benefits associated with it.

The report, Sport for all - why ethnicity and culture matters in sport and physical activity, is described as the most comprehensive ever picture of how people from BAME communities are taking part in sport and physical activity. It has been drawn from the survey responses of more than 100,000 people who contributed to the most recent Active Lives Adult and Children Surveys.

Published by Sport England, the report shows that, presently, 62 per cent of adults in England meet the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) guidelines of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.

However, just 56 per cent of Black people and 55.1 per cent of Asian people (excluding Chinese) reach this figure.

The differences in activity levels are even greater when looking at ethnic sub-groups.

According to the report, less than half of adults from a Pakistani (48.8 Per cent) and Bangladeshi (49.6 per cent) background currently meet the CMO guidelines.

However, those from a "mixed" white and Asian background are the most active adults of all – with 74.6 per cent classed as physically active.

Speaking at a special conference to promote the research in Birmingham Sport England board member and former CEO of Sported Chris Grant said the results of the report show that it is vitally important to "work to close the ethnicity gap in sport participation".

“I’m convinced that sport must be a leader, and not a follower,” he said.

“That’s why I want to invite and challenge the whole of sport to come with us on this journey, and in doing so to be clear-sighted and honest about the ways in which we’re currently excluding and letting down whole swathes of our population.

“When it suits us, we’re happy to talk about the leadership role that sport can play; its capacity to inspire a nation or to transform lives. No other aspect of national life has so many column inches and broadcast hours devoted to it.

“But there’s an elevated level of discomfort when talking about race and culture in sport and we need to get beyond this if we are genuinely going to do something about the ethnicity gap.”

Grant also highlighted the role data can play in breaking down equality.

“One of the key ingredients to achieve necessary change at all levels of sport is how we use data," he added.

“If we don’t invest both vigour and rigour in building a detailed picture of the situation as it currently exists, then we stand little chance of coming up with effective solutions that will improve peoples’ lives.

“And even if we were to stumble across some of those solutions – we wouldn’t be able to monitor our progress and put solid proof behind it. The research being published today is a massive step forward in this regard."

To download and read the full Sport for all - why ethnicity and culture matters in sport and physical activity report, click here.


back
Latest member news
Edinburgh Leisure & Edinburgh University team up to research aquatic based falls prevention program
An exciting new aquatic exercise research study for Falls Prevention programmes has been launched in Edinburgh. Aqua Steps, is a new exercise programme, developed by experts in the field from the University of Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Leisure. The programmes are delivered as part of a research project, and aims to improve the balance, strength, endurance, confidence, and independence of the participants.
read more...


Aura Wales’s wins inclusive award
Aura’s Sports Development Team has recently received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sport and Physical Activity’ Award by the Get Out Get Active programme in North Wales, a partnership between Disability Sport Wales and Pride Cymru, to support disabled and non-disabled LGBTQ+ people.
read more...


Edinburgh Leisure support employees with family wellbeing
Two-thirds of parents in the UK are worried about their children’s mental health. And rightly so, as 1 in 6 children in the UK are experiencing mental health problems.
read more...


Groundbreaking insights: MPower by Enable transforms workplace experiences for menopausal women
MPower by Enable is proud to unveil its latest findings, from new data drawn between July and December 2023, marking a significant milestone in the journey to revolutionise workplace support for women navigating perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.
read more...


GLL delight at Copper Box Arena contract extension
A decade on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has appointed charitable social enterprise GLL, the operating contract for the Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; continuing to build on the venue’s hugely successful legacy.
read more...


Library adaptation to create greater focus on health & wellbeing in Luton
After winning the long-term contract to run Luton Libraries, Active Luton is investing £250,000 in a major refurbishment of Luton Central Library.
read more...


Mytime Active begin £400,000 refurb with focus on layout to reduce gym intimidation
Mytime Active has begun a major refurb of one of their key sites and are putting a big focus creating a layout that reduces 'gym intimidation’.
read more...


Children and families in temporary accommodation get half term boost with free leisure activities
Oldham Council has teamed up with the charitable trust Oldham Active (Oldham Community Leisure) to provide children living in temporary accommodation and their families with free passes to Oldham Active’s five wellbeing centres.
read more...


Sport Aberdeen introduces walking football for individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen is excited to announce - alongside North East Active Parkinson’s Group, Parkinson’s UK, Robert Gordon University, and AFC Community Trust - a new Walking Football session for those living with Parkinson’s Disease.
read more...


Exercise classes for people with neurological conditions worth “Every Penny”
Exercise classes for people with neurological conditions at Bolton Arena Sports Village are worth every penny, according to one of their participants.
read more...


New healthy partnership between Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust and University Campus Doncaster
A new partnership between Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT) and University Campus Doncaster (UCDon) will support students in their learning, focus on their health and fitness and bring wellbeing opportunities to DCLT Choose Fitness members.
read more...


Couch to Race for Life sessions launched by Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust
New sessions to get people moving and to raise awareness of cancer prevention have been launched by Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust (DCLT).
read more...


A love of artistic swimming wins Elizabeth Regional Coach of the Year Award
A love of artistic swimming has saved a local club from folding and won its head coach a regional award.
read more...


more Community Leisure UK member news >>
Business partner news
● Cyber Threats and Social Media: Who Are You Sharing Your Data with?
With a growing reliance on social media comes an increased risk of hacking and data theft. Keeping up to date with the latest threats can be challenging, but it’s important to know what to look out for and how to help keep sensitive data secure. ...more
● EGYM and Precor enhance existing Global Partnership
Precor, the pioneer of connected commercial fitness equipment and EGYM, the global fitness technology and corporate health innovation leader, continue to pave the way with their latest integration on the third generation of Precor cardio consoles. ...more
Latest industry news from leisureopportunities.co.uk
06 Mar 2024
UK government launches Our Future Health, a world-leading preventative research programme with a five-million-strong sample
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) is looking for recruits ahead of undertaking its largest- ever research programme.
read more...


04 Mar 2024
Fitness on Demand does a deal to deliver Les Mills content on its platform
Global digital fitness and engagement platform, Fitness On Demand has teamed up with world- leading workout creator, Les Mills, to offer an omnichannel fitness solution.
read more...


29 Feb 2024
Orangetheory and Self Esteem Brands are to merge to form a $3.5 billion business
Orangetheory and Self Esteem Brands have revealed plans to merge 'as equals' creating a new company with around US$3.5 billion a year in sales and 7,000 franchises in 50 countries.
read more...


29 Feb 2024
Samsung launches first smart ring to support health, fitness and wellness
Samsung has unveiled a smart ring, packed with innovative technologies to aid health and wellbeing, which will be available later this year.
read more...


28 Feb 2024
Yale study shows HIIT can reverse nerve damage caused by Parkinson’s
According to a pilot study by Yale School of Medicine, exercise can not only slow down the neurodegeneration associated with Parkinson’s Disease, there is evidence it can even reverse the damage.
read more...


28 Feb 2024
Self Esteem Brands reports results, does deal with Apple Fitness and reveals plans to crank up international expansion
Self Esteem Brands (SEB), owner of Anytime Fitness, has released year-end results which show year-on-year revenues up by 12.3 per cent and the launch of 500 new franchise units globally.
read more...


26 Feb 2024
The Gym Group revolutionises training for midlife women with industry-first programme
Following a successful pilot, The Gym Group is rolling out a programme, delivered by The Well HQ, educating its trainers on how best to support midlife women.
read more...


23 Feb 2024
Eight leisure operators issued warnings over the use of biometric data
The ICO has ruled that eight leisure operators have been unlawfully processing the biometric data of their employees to be used for attendance checks and the resulting salary payments.
read more...


more industry news >>
General Meetings
CLUK General Meeting
15 May 2024: Glasgow
Regional Meetings
South West Regional Meeting
8 March 2024
Wales Regional Meeting
9 April 2024
Special Interest Groups
Culture
7 March 2024
Swimming & Aquatics
13 March 2024
Sustainable Buildings
14 March 2024
Health Scotland
20 March 2024
Sales & Retention
3 April 2024
Culture
4 April 2024
i-Trent
8 April 2024
For more information about Special Interest Group and regional / national members meetings, please contact [email protected]
Job vacancies
Relationship Officer - Physical Activity and Sport
Salary: £40,005 - £43,824pa + local govt pension + benefits
Location: Westminster, London, UK
Company: City of Westminster Council
Read more and apply
Head of Leisure and Communities
Salary: £65,624 - £76,439pa + up £3,255 Benefits Allowance
Location:
Company: Woking Borough Council
Read more and apply
more job vacancies >>
Diary dates
11-14 Apr 2024
FIBO Global Fitness
Cologne, Germany
more
22-24 Apr 2024
UK Aufguss Championships
York
more
23-24 May 2024
European Health Prevention Day
Wiesbaden, Germany
more
30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Wellness
Rimini, Italy
more
08-08 Jun 2024
Global Wellness Day
Various
more
11-13 Jun 2024
World Festival
Singapore, Singapore
more
12-13 Jun 2024
Elevate
London, United Kingdom
more
22-25 Oct 2024
Interbad
Germany
more
04-07 Nov 2024
Global Wellness Summit (GWS)
St Andrews, United Kingdom
more
more diary dates >>
Business partners
Contact Community Leisure UK


Kirsty Cumming, Chief Executive

Tel: 020 7250 8263
[email protected]
Submit news


The Community Leisure UK ezine is published in association with leisureopportunities.co.uk

Please email news and images for consideration to [email protected]
Your subscription


To add a colleague to this mailing list click here

This e-zine is produced and distributed on behalf of Community Leisure UK by Leisure Media, publisher of Leisure Opportunities, HCM and Sports Management