A report from the UK's health and social care select committee has highlighted that potholes, unsafe crossings, and a shortage of public benches are deterring older people from staying active, leading to increased risks of obesity, heart disease, and cancer. The committee warned that inactivity has been "designed" into daily life for older individuals and emphasized that exercise is as crucial as medicine.
In the UK, physical inactivity is linked to one in six deaths and costs an estimated £7.4 billion annually. The MPs called for urgent action to remove "policy, funding and accountability barriers that have led to inactivity being designed into daily life, particularly for older people." This includes local measures to repair poorly paved streets, improve crossing safety, and provide more public toilets and seating, combined with national transport and planning decisions that facilitate movement.
The NHS recommends adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, such as brisk walking or cycling, along with strength and balance exercises twice a week. However, data shows 44% of people aged 75 or older do less than 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.
The select committee report urges the Care Quality Commission to ensure exercise programmes are available in care homes. "Increasing movement—especially among the least active—can prevent many leading causes of death, prevent frailty, dementia, and disability, and help narrow the unacceptable 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas," the report stated. It stressed that "frailty is not an inevitable or irreversible aspect of aging" and that exercise can improve outcomes, adding that "physical activity can be more effective than drugs in preventing, treating, and managing many long-term conditions."
Age UK described the report as a "wake-up call." Charity Director Caroline Abrahams said, "We hope the report also jogs national and local policymakers into recognising that there is a lot more they can and should be doing to make it easier for older people to keep moving, as a natural part of their daily lives."
