Agenda item

This paper highlights to the Board the Kirklees Director of Public Health (DPH) Annual Report 2024/25, entitled Physical Activity Matters.

Contact: Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Executive Director for Public Health and Corporate Resources, Lucy Wearmouth, Head of Improving Population Health, Owen Richardson, Data and Insight Enablement Lead for Public Health, and Martin Gonzalez, Public Health Manager.

Lucy Wearmouth, Head of Improving Population Health and Martin Gonzales, Public Health Manager, presented the Director of Public Health Annual Report, on behalf of Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Executive Director for Public Health.

In summary, the Board was informed that the Director for Public Health chooses the focus of the annual report, which is an independent professional statement about the health of the local community and is separate to the political decision-making process.   The report aims to be a vehicle to start conversations and system change.  It is a key resource to inform the stakeholders of priorities and also to recommend actions to improve and protect the health of communities.

The Board was informed that this year’s report is titled Physical Activity Matters, with a particular focus on understanding inequalities related to physical activity. The aim is to develop a system-wide understanding of physical activity, including the factors that influence participation and the associated disparities across different population groups.

The Board was advised that the report is not intended to provide solutions. Instead, it outlines a set of proposed next steps and is expected to be published online shortly. Once available, the report will be shared with Board members. Ongoing work will continue to provide deeper insight into local communities, with the aim that the collective findings will inform and drive local system-wide actions.

The Board was reminded of the importance and of the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity. While the report does not include a formal definition, physical activity in this context refers to any form of movement that involves energy expenditure, essentially, moving the body.

Physical activity plays a vital role in the prevention and management of many health conditions, including cardiovascular and mental health, and in reducing the risk of chronic diseases. There is also the broader added value of physical activity in enhancing individual wellbeing and fostering social inclusion and bringing people communities together.  The report aims to reflect these wider social benefits.  A quote from Dame Sally Davies, former Chief Medical Officer sums it up.  “If physical activity was a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat”.

The Board was informed that the report includes the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance on how much physical activity different groups of people need to take each week.  This is across the life course ranging from children and young people, adults, older people, people with disabilities, and pregnant women.

For example, people aged 5 -18 years should aim for 60 plus minutes per day across the week, and adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.   This is both informal and formal physical activity. 

For adults, aiming for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week can be quite overwhelming as a definition.  It is therefore important to emphasise that some exercise is good, more is better for the people who are most physically inactive. Just doing some physical activity can have health benefits.

The Board was informed that in terms of inequalities; it is recognised that around a quarter of adults and children do less than 30 minutes of physical activity each week.  The report gives this as the definition of physical inactivity. 

According to the data from the 2021, CLiK survey, rates of inactivity are:

-       three times higher for people out of work versus those in work

-       two and a half times higher for 75+ (verses 19-74)

-       two times higher for people with a disability (versus those without)

-       three times higher for those in most deprived areas (versus the least deprived areas)

-       significantly higher for people of Pakistani ethnicity compared with those of white British or Indian ethnicity

There will be a multitude of reasons why those inequalities exist, and they are often very complex due to social, environmental and economic factors. It is important in the report to take a systems approach to understanding those inequalities.

The Board received an overview of the approach taken to increase physical activity levels, informed by the World Health Organisation’s Global Action Plan on physical activity, broken down into four recommendations. The recommendations includes creating:

1. Active Societies – Promoting awareness and cultural change through campaigns and community-led initiatives.

2. Active Environments – Designing safe, accessible spaces that encourages walking, cycling and play.

3. Active People – Supporting individuals through education, healthcare, and community programmes.

4. Active Systems – Strengthening governance, data, funding and cross sector collaboration.

The Board was informed that this is an important issue and is included in the Kirklees Health and Well-being Strategy as an ambition.  Inequalities exists not because of those very simplistic sort of definitions or categories but because of a wide range of complex factors that influence an individual’s ability to engage in physical activity.   Personal lifestyle choices are often shaped by broader living and working conditions, which can significantly impact health and wellbeing. In addition, wider socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors can also play a role.

The Board was informed that the overarching aim is to support people to move more, in ways that work for them, whether that involves informal movement, such as walking or stretching, or more structured participation in high-performance sport.  It is important to recognise and value all forms of physical activity, as part of a broader strategy to improve health and wellbeing across communities. 

The inequalities seen locally also exists nationally as the local pattern is very similar to the national pattern. While previous approaches to physical activity have been effective for some, they have not worked for everyone. An individual’s level of physical activity can fluctuate throughout their life due to changing personal circumstances, health, and environmental factors. Taking that into account and to better understand and support individuals to be more active, the COM-B model has been looked at.  This model identifies three essential components for behaviour change, capability, opportunity and motivation.

The Health and Wellbeing Strategy which includes ‘I’ statements, highlights that people want to move more, they want to be healthy, they want to be able to do things for themselves.  Some of the statements are about having safe and accessible local places, and access to affordable activities. They want the local area to be disability friendly and is accessible to everyone.

There are a range of assets that exist in Kirklees, that give people a wide range of opportunities to be active, from outdoor spaces, parks, recreation and play areas.  There are also sessions that support people to be active.  These should be maintained and enhanced wherever possible. However, despite these resources, a significant number of people remain inactive. This highlights that current approaches, while effective for some, are not universally accessible or impactful.

There is a need for inclusive strategies that reflect diverse needs, acknowledging that what works for one person may not work for another and that needs may change over time and there may be a need to think differently. 

The Board was informed that there are plans to share the report more widely through a series of engagement sessions or presentations, and feedback and suggestions on potential audiences or venues for this ‘road trip’ approach would be welcomed.

Board members expressed their appreciation for the work undertaken in developing the annual report and welcomed the opportunity to engage in further discussions, outside of the formal meeting, to explore the information in greater depth.

RESOLVED:

That Lucy Wearmouth and Martin Gonzales be thanked for presenting the Director for Public Health Annual Report 2024/25, Physical Activity.