Women’s health in crisis

Vitality, the health and life insurer, has today published the ‘Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women’s Participation in Sport’ report into women’s physical activity and health. The report finds that less than 1 in 4 (23%) women are completing the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week and that 96% of women feel responsible for their own levels of physical activity*.  

The report suggests that this feeling of responsibility could be misplaced. Given the link between health and productivity, employers have an opportunity to support female employees by stepping in to help improve their health and tackle some of the barriers they face when it comes to engaging with physical activity and sport.

As such, the report, which has been supported by The Well HQ and the charity Women in Sport, has led to calls for decisive action from the government, health professionals, and businesses to help tackle this urgent issue.  

 The findings 

The research identified women across all age groups were falling below the recommended activity levels per week, with only 20% of women aged 20-39, 27% aged 40-59, and 23% aged 60-79 reaching the 150-minute goal. This low level of exercise across ages raises concerns due to the well-documented benefits of exercise to support overall health and wellbeing throughout life. Only earlier this year, Vitality revealed that their members who were highly active live longer than those who aren’t active**.

Three of the most critical findings from the report reveal:  

1. 41% of women exercise to maintain their weight – neglecting the wider health benefits: Women were found to neglect the significant broader benefits of exercising, with only 26% of women being motivated by the mental health benefits and 12% being motivated by increased muscle mass and strength. Women also report not knowing what exercise is beneficial for them at different times in their lives, with over half of women agreeing with this statement.

2. While women want to be more active, they face several serious barriers: Time constraints and demanding work schedules are consistent barriers for women under the age of 50 (79%).  This is accentuated for women with childcare responsibilities (83%) and remains stubbornly high for women who report receiving workplace support and family support to be active (78% and 65% respectively). While psychological factors impact women across all ages and life stages, data shows that mental health issues are most likely to prevent young women from engaging in exercise with nearly 70% of 20–29-year-olds reporting this.

3. A targeted approach to rebrand women’s exercise is needed: The report recommends actions for government, employers, the health and sports industries, and individuals to take to tackle these issues. It concludes that a collective approach with targeted interventions is required to ensure that women reap the wider health and wellbeing benefits of exercise and that interventions meet the needs of women at different ages and life stages.

As the UK grapples with a societal health crisis, Vitality is shining a light on the need for a collective approach to rebrand physical activity for women to boost engagement, create targeted interventions for women that better account for the differing needs across women’s life stages, and that physical activity is central to any wider government-led preventative healthcare reforms.

The critical next steps 

Alongside these key findings, the report includes a list of recommendations that can be adopted by the government, employers, and the wider health industry, with a specific one pointing out the opportunity that exists within the workplace to better support women to be more active, noting the substantial productivity benefits that could be available for businesses here if they do so.

Other recommendations include:   

• Embed health checks for women at key life stages
• Expand funding for grassroots sports and physical activity and ensure that existing funding provides inclusive sports facilities for women
• Report at a Board level on the health and wellbeing of the employee base and ensure understanding of where employees need or want more support,
• Create opportunities for ‘exercise snacks’ throughout the workday
• Embed women-specific training within existing personal training and sports qualifications as a requirement
• Consider how a certification for online content could ensure people have access to and can trust the quality of information they receive

 Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, said: “The study raises urgent questions about how, as a society, we are supporting women in maintaining healthy physical activity habits. This is a societal issue, as we know that physical activity and healthy habits are the bedrock of health and wellbeing and should be central to any preventative healthcare strategy. As the government and businesses alike grapple with the implications of our nation’s worsening health, it is crucial to ensure that we heed the lessons from this report and tackle the barriers that are preventing women being more active. I urge everyone to remember that this is a problem for us all – not for women to fix in isolation.” 

 Katie Tryon, Director of Health Strategy at Vitality, said: We all have an important role to play in supporting the health of women. This report shows that we can change health outcomes for women, and highlights the substantial opportunities that exist within the workplace in particular, to better support women to live more active lives.  

 Improving the health of women offers shared value for everybody, not only helping women to live longer in good health in turn putting less strain on health systems, but healthier employees are also more productive in the workplace than inactive ones, meaning there is benefit for all.  

*Active Women, Healthy Lives: Understanding Barriers to Women’s Participation in Physical Activity
**health-claims-insights-report-24.pdf