Being active in childhood and adolescence has a wealth of positive benefits. Councils and their partners are delivering a range of interventions to increase the number of children and young people moving more and being physically active.
In January 2024 the LGA Culture, Tourism and Sport Board launched a call for evidence on the effective interventions councils and wider organisations are delivering to increase participation and activity levels in children and young people. This page brings together case studies we received and useful resources to support councils. Find out more about why this matters.
Case studies
Active Charnwood’s Physical Activity Programmes: user testimonials
Play
Play is crucial for increasing children's physical activity as it makes movement fun and natural, helping to build strength, coordination, and endurance. It encourages lifelong healthy habits while fostering creativity and social interaction.
Why this matters
Research shows that being active in childhood and adolescence has a wealth of positive benefits. It improves cardiorespiratory fitness, builds strong bones and muscles, controls weight, reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression and lowers the risk of developing long term health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
But the benefits extend beyond health and wellbeing outcomes. Positive physical activity behaviours or habits developed in childhood and adolescence are likely to be seen in adulthood, creating more active adults. Physical activity may improve children’s cognitive functions and academic performance at school.
Activity does not have to be structured or through formalised routes. Research also tells us that when parents and care givers are active with their children they become role models, encouraging the adoption of more active lifestyles later in life. Its also a great way for families to spend time together, have fun, bond, and socialise. Getting the whole family – adults and children alike, moving more and enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits. Play is a key way for children to learn, make friends, and develop social, physical, and cognitive skills. It also helps children develop creativity, cultural awareness, and resilience.
“We saw a direct, positive association between physical activity in children and their mothers – the more activity a mother did, the more active her child. Although it is not possible to tell from this study whether active children were making their mothers run around after them, it is likely that activity in one of the pair influences activity in the other.” (Study: Activity Levels in Mothers and Their Preschool Children, Kathryn Hesketh et al).
However, despite the evidence on the benefits, the Active Lives Survey (2023/24) shows that the number of children and young people being active is not sufficient and progress is slow:
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In 2023/24 Fifty-two per cent of children and young people did not meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of taking part in sport and physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day.
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Of this amount, 29.6 per cent do fewer than an average of 30 minutes a day, similar to the number (33 per cent) recorded in 2017/18 when the survey first started.
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The number of children and young people active for 60 minutes or more a day has increased by four per cent since records began (43 per cent in 2017/18 compared to 48 per cent in 2023/24).
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Physical literacy is down compared to five years ago. This declines with age as secondary-aged children feel less confident, competent and gain less enjoyment from sport and activity.
When we look at specific groups, the data shows inequalities exist:
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Nearly a third (29 per cent) of disabled children who took part in the survey are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity each day, meaning that one in three disabled children are missing out on the benefits of an active lifestyle.
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Those from the least affluence families are the least likely to be active (45 per cent).
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Children and young people of Black (42 per cent), Asian (43 per cent) and Other ethnicities (44 per cent) are the least likely to be active compared to their White other (50 per cent) and White British (50 per cent) counterparts.
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A gender gap exists, with boys (51 per cent) more likely to be active than girls (45 per cent).
Inactivity creates a host of public health issues that impacts on our children and young people now and stores up problems further down the line for our health and social care services. Some of the biggest risks include (but are not limited to):
Mental health
- One in five children and young people in England aged eight to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023. Twice as many girls as boys are affected in later adolescence and early adulthood. Prevalence is higher for young people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, those with a probable mental illness were almost three times as likely to have parents who have fallen behind on bills. Mental health problems can have lifelong impacts and put children and young people at greater risk of engaging in behaviours which threaten their physical health, including alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity.
- The average waiting time in England between referral and the start of Children and Young People Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) treatment is six weeks. Recent findings show sport and physical activity interventions has positive effects on the diagnosed mental health problems of children and young people with the strongest evidence suggesting that exercise can protect against depression.
Healthy weight
- The Health Survey for England (2024) shows 15 per cent of 2 to 15 year olds are obese and 27 per cent are overweight (including obese).
- Obesity in childhood is a risk factor for many health, socio-emotional conditions and obesity in later life. 55 per cent of children with obesity continue into adolescence and 80 per cent of obese adolescents experience it in adulthood, currently 26.2 per cent of adults are obese and 64 per cent are overweight including obese. Likewise parental obesity is a risk factor for childhood obesity. The estimated cost for a typical council for community-based obesity related social care is £423,000 [2014 prices] and costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year.
- Obesity prevalence in children living in the most deprived areas is more than twice as high than. Black children have the highest prevalence of obesity (13.7 per cent in reception and 30.4 per cent in year 6) compared to White children 9.5 per cent and 20.8 per cent respectively.
- Asian children made up the largest proportion of underweight children , at around 4per cent in reception and year 6. This can result in poor school achievement, behavioural problems, lower bone density, poor fitness and weaker immune system increasing the risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular and school absence (National Child Measurement Programme, 2023/24)
- The impact on care experienced children and young people is much greater. As a vulnerable group, that is often unseen, they face a range of social and health inequalities. Including poorer educational outcomes, higher rates of special educational needs, emotional and mental health problems, higher rates of homelessness and unemployment upon leaving care. Research shows:
- There were 83,840 children looked after in England in 2023. This includes 5,570 asylum-seeking children in care.
- Adults placed in care in childhood were much more likely to die prematurely than those who lived with their parents. Additionally, adults in residential care as a child were 3-4 times more likely to report their health as ‘not good’ compared to adults who had lived with relatives.
- Almost 25 per cent of the adult prison population have previously been in care, and nearly 50 per cent of under 21-year-olds in contact with the criminal justice system have spent time in care. (Home For Good | England)
- Looked-after children are more at risk of interacting with the criminal justice system in early adulthood than their peers. Among looked-after children 52 per cent were convicted of a criminal offence by the academic year they turned the age of 24, compared to 13 per cent of children who had not experienced care. (Home For Good | England)
- changes in placements and consequently schools, resulted in looked-after children often missing out on school-based sporting activities and are more dependent on out-of-school activities.
- Structural and organisational policies in care settings, such as set meal times and needing to negotiate time for activities with staff, means looked after children have less time for sport and physical activity.
- Sport and physical activity activities offers those living in, or leaving care opportunities to develop friendships and widen their social network in mainstream activities with young people who are not in care. This is particularly important for looked-after children who, due to past experiences, may find interacting with wider networks and communities particularly difficult.
Later this year we will publish our report on improving activity levels for care experienced children and young people and care leavers.
Local government has a challenging future ahead with devolution, local government reorganisation and Spending Review 2025 | Local Government Association However it plays a critical role in health prevention and early intervention. Essential services such as sport, leisure, public health and children’s services are key to improving population health and preventing ill health in future generations.