Friday 29 March 2024
 6.2°C   SE Light Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Community / Survey results reveal barriers to keeping active

A LACK of motivation, time and childcare – as well as poor weather – are among the key barriers to people in Shetland keeping active, a survey has revealed.

The survey was carried out last summer and it received more than 1,400 responses.

Shetland residents – both adults and school pupils – were asked to share details about their physical activity levels, preferences and ideas.

The surveys were created by an Active Shetland Strategy working group.

The strategy aims to “make Shetland the most active community in Scotland”, and includes representatives from Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Recreational Trust, NHS Shetland, Ability Shetland and ZetTrans.

More than half of the adult survey respondents indicated that a lack of time limited their participation in physical activity, and 47 per cent stated that a lack of motivation was a barrier to being active.

Having other priorities and a lack of childcare were also commonly selected reasons that limited activity levels.

For school pupils, poor weather was the most selected barrier to participation, closely followed by a lack of time (35 per cent) and a lack of motivation (21 per cent).

Survey respondents were also asked to select potential improvements that could increase their activity levels.

For adults, the most commonly selected choice was improved paths and suitable routes for cycling and walking. 

Most frequently selected improvements also included activities that were beginner-focused, cheaper, family-friendly and closer to home.

For children, the most popular improvement was activities closer to home, followed closely by family activities, reduced costs and more focus on fun.

As well as giving information on barriers to activity and ways to reduce them, the surveys also gave insight into the respondents’ current physical activity levels and how the pandemic had impacted them, the main motivations for being active, and information about the ways in which people preferred to be active.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

Using the information from the survey results, the working group has initially decided on five main actions for 2022.

They are:

  • Deliver workplace and schools campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles, including supporting schools to complete the School Sport Award
  • Create family-orientated and fun-focused activities for all in two rural areas
  • Develop and expand walking group opportunities for all in Shetland
  • Engage with a variety of groups, including youth groups, to better understand barriers to being active
  • Promote new and existing opportunities for younger and older people to be active, including SRT’s new subscription and Access to Leisure schemes.

Louise Johnson of Shetland Islands Council’s sport and leisure service said: “We are happy with the number of responses to our lifestyle survey and we’d like to thank everyone who took part.

“We have used their input to create an Action Plan for moving forward, and we look forward to working together as a partnership to deliver some new projects and activities that we hope will help to reduce some of the local barriers that have been identified.”

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.