Nuffield Health programme based on survey results
Nuffield Health launched new programme “Move together”, hosting free exercise classes across the country in the holidays to help parents struggling to get kids active. The launch comes after a new survey reveals just 12% of young girls and 27% of boys plan to play sport this summer. Classes are being held weekly in sites across the UK, including Portsmouth, Chichester and Crawley.
The Move together programme pilot initiative aims to provide a safe, confidence-boosting environment for children to come together and explore new activities outside the school curriculum.
This follows on from Sport England’s Active Lives survey that showed 54% of girls aged 11-16 are doing less than 60 minutes of activity a day, and the new Nuffield health data showed 28% of parents of girls aged 11-16 anticipate their daughters will stay indoors between 4-7 days every week, preferring to watch a series (34%) and play video games (21%) than play a sport (12%).
The data, based on a survey of 2,000 11-16-years olds and their parents, revealed a worrying lack of participation in physical activity, with over one in four (28%) girls stating that exercise is not important to them.
This follows data from Nuffield Health’s Healthier Nation Index, which recently showed that women’s health had suffered most in the pandemic, with 47% saying they had done no vigorous physical exercise in the last year.
Giving girls opportunities to get active over summer
Davina Deniszczyc, Charity and Medical Director at Nuffield Health, said; “Recent research by Nuffield Health found that almost half of British women don’t do any vigorous exercise, and this new data shows this problem often starts in girls teenage years, with many reporting multiple barriers to physical activity.
“If we don’t start knocking these down for young girls now, we run the risk of this continuing into their adult lives, negatively impacting on both their physical and mental health. The recent Lionesses’ victory has supercharged an interest in women’s sport and will serve as an inspiration to girls all over the country for years to come, and we need to ensure this legacy is not lost.
“We launched Move together to give young people an opportunity to feel better on the inside and out, meet or make friends, and give them a chance to try something new whilst getting active. Our ambition is to get as many young girls as possible active this summer without having to worry about cost.”
Concerns from young women and sport classes available
Olivia Tyler, Clinical Fitness Specialist at Nuffield Health, said; “I hear the same concerns all the time, especially from young women. It is a mixture of feeling self-conscious, worried about being embarrassed and not knowing what else they can do that goes beyond the traditional sports offered in school sports lessons.
“We are hoping to inspire young girls with fun activities they can do with their friends in convenient, safe spaces that will encourage participation over the summer and beyond”.
Hosted in local parks and community hubs near Nuffield Health centres, classes will be offered in a range of disciplines including boxing, pilates, yoga, dance, Zumba and circuits. Parents, guardians and carers can easily book 11–16-year-olds onto a class via www.nuffieldhealth.com/move-together, or sign up at their local Nuffield Health centre.
