Cost of living crisis “changing exercise behaviours”

People are changing their exercise behaviours due to the increased cost of living – and the changes are unlikely to be reversed until household finances improve.

Substituting paid activities with free alternatives, such as walking or cycling, focusing on home-based activities and the cancelling of gym and sports memberships are among the actions reported by people, when asked about the changes they have made due to rising costs. A considerable number also reported having less time for physical activity due to increased work hours.

The findings come from a new report, published by Sport England, which examines how the cost of living crisis is impacting the sport and physical activity sector.

Called The rising cost of living and its impact on sport and physical activity, the report has been produced in conjunction with Sheffield Hallam University and is intended to help activity providers understand the impact that rising costs is having ontheir participants. According to the report, parents and carers of children and young people are also making changes to their child(ren)’s sport and physical activities because the cost of living increases. The types of changes were similar to those reported by adults i.e., increasing the number of free activities, walking or cycling to get to places and cancelling memberships.

The report shows that people from the most deprived areas – and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds – are more likely to have their levels of physical activity negatively affected by the cost of living crisis.