At a glance
Benefits of being active
While we know it can be tough getting people with long-term health conditions active, there needn’t be an assumption that they can’t. In fact, research shows us that those who are least active stand to benefit the most in terms of their health and happiness by getting active.
That’s why we’re working hard to break down these stereotypes and work with organisations and partners to get more people with long-term health conditions active.
A collaborative approach
It’s important to understand the differing motivations and barriers for specific audiences when it comes to sport and physical activity, rather than a one size fits all approach responding to stereotypes.
Importantly, people with health conditions cannot be thought of as one homogenous group of people. A complex backdrop of economic and health inequalities magnifies the impact of barriers to getting active felt by all, such as confidence or knowing where to go, through to cost, lack of time and appropriate opportunity. This explains why there isn’t a single reason for inactivity.
That's why we believe a collaborative approach will address the fundamental issue of reducing inactivity among people with health conditions. In practise, this means working in partnership with a variety of organisations across sectors who know and understand the specific audiences we want to target, including partners who we’ve traditionally not worked with.
By ensuring investments are evidence-based, we can help deliver more opportunities for people with health conditions to get active.
Our strategy – Towards an Active Nation
Getting people with health conditions more involved in sport and activity, through campaigns like We Are Undefeatable, is a crucial part of our Towards an Active Nation strategy.
Our vision is that everyone in England, regardless of age, background or ability, feels able to take part in sport or activity.
This ambitious strategy means we’re going to need to work in different ways to make sure everyone can get the most out of getting active.
