Laura Pitson
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SUMMARY
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The aim of this chapter is to present levels of physical activity among adults in Scotland, looking both at specific types of activity and at summary measures based on all kinds of activity. Section 6.1.1 briefly presents the background to the topic in terms of current health promotion policy, looking at the targets set for physical activity by the Scottish Executive, and the internationally accepted recommendations on which these targets are based. Section 6.1.2 sets out the purpose, structure and content of the physical activity module of the Scottish Health Survey, and explains how the frequency, duration and intensity of activity were calculated from informants' answers. Section 6.2 looks at participation (by age and sex) in the different elements of physical activity identified in the questionnaire, and at the maximum intensity level attained. Section 6.3 describes the derivation of 'summary measures' of physical activity, which take into account all the different elements of activity asked about in the questionnaire. It then presents the results for these summary measures by age and sex. Section 6.4 examines patterns in physical activity by social class and region. Finally, in Section 6.5 the data on physical activity for Scotland are compared with data for England and Northern England (taken from the Health Survey for England).
6.1.1 Background
For some years, public health promotion in the UK has included the aim of increasing physical activity among adults. It has long been known that physical activity can protect against a range of diseases such as non-insulin dependent diabetes and osteoporosis, as well as promoting good mental health.1 The importance of physical activity, and its contribution towards the prevention of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, was recognised in the Green Paper Working Together for a Healthier Scotland. The subsequent White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland sets out plans for a National Physical Activity Strategy for Scotland, to encourage people of all ages and walks of life to participate in physical activity.
In 1990 there was an international consensus that adults should take part in vigorous activity at least three times a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time.2 By the mid-1990s it was realised that although this level represented the ideal in terms of the cardiac benefit attained by an individual, it was unrealistic to expect those who were currently inactive to aim for such a target. Attention therefore shifted to encouraging regular activity at a moderate rather than vigorous level of intensity (these levels being defined in terms of 'energy cost'), in order to provide an achievable target for those who had the most to gain from increasing their physical activity. The internationally accepted revised guideline suggested that adults should take part in at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least five days per week.3 In 1995, the proportions of men and women aged 16-64 who were active at this level were identified by the Scottish Health Survey as 32% and 22% respectively.4 The aim set out in the White Paper is to increase these figures to 50% and 40% by 2005, and to 60% and 50% by 2010.
Since the mid-1990s, various studies have recognised the value of accumulating shorter bouts of physical activity (of as little as 15 minutes) to meet the daily target of 30 minutes of at least moderate activity.5,6,7 The questions asked in the 1998 Scottish Health Survey were revised in the light of this development.
6.1.2 Methodology
The purpose of the physical activity module of the questionnaire was to collect information on the frequency, usual duration and usual intensity of physical activity over the four-week period immediately prior to interview. This allowed the calculation of summary measures of physical activity, so that levels of activity could be assessed against the recognised guidelines.
The questionnaire asked about four broad types of activity:
For each of these types of activity, questions were asked to establish the frequency, duration and intensity of activity in the four weeks prior to interview.
Frequency and duration of activity
To assess frequency of activity at home, of walking and of sports and exercise activity, informants were asked on how many days in the last four weeks they had engaged in the activity.
To measure duration of activity at home and of sports and exercise activity, informants were asked how long they usually spent on the activity on each day. For walking, informants were asked for the usual time spent on each walk, and for those doing more than one walk on any day(s), the time spent walking on that day (or those days) was calculated as twice the usual time per walk.
For activity at work, the concept of an 'occasion' did not apply, so data were not collected on frequency or duration. For the purposes of calculating summary activity levels, full-time workers were assumed to be active on 20 days in the past four weeks, and part-time workers on 12 days in the past four weeks. Additional information about specific activities at work was also collected, and is summarised in Table 6.4.
Intensity level
Activities were classified by intensity level, based on their estimated energy costs. Activities were classed as either:
To classify intensity of activity at home, informants were shown examples of housework, gardening and DIY activities that counted as 'heavy'. Heavy housework, gardening and DIY were classed as 'moderate' level activities, other gardening and DIY as 'light' and other housework tasks as 'inactive'.8
For walking, informants were asked to say whether their usual pace was 'fast (at least 4 miles per hour)', 'brisk', 'steady average' or 'slow'. Walks of 15 minutes or more at a 'brisk' or 'fast' pace were classed as 'moderate' and those at a 'slow' or 'steady average' pace as 'light'.
To measure the intensity of sports and exercise activities, informants were asked whether the effort of the activity was usually enough to make them out of breath or sweaty. Activities were then classified according to the nature of the activity and the informant's assessment of the effort involved. For example, cycling was classified as 'vigorous' if the effort usually made the informant out of breath or sweaty, and otherwise as 'moderate'.9
To classify activity level at work, the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code of the job was combined with the informant's own assessment of their level of physical activity in their job. Informants assessing themselves as 'very physically active' in their jobs were only classified as doing 'vigorous' activity at work if they were in one of a short list of occupations; otherwise, their work activity was classed as 'moderate'.10
Comparisons
The physical activity module in the 1998 Scottish Health Survey was designed to match the corresponding module in the 1998 Health Survey for England,11 so that valid comparisons could be made between the two countries. This design entailed a substantial shift from the physical activity questions in the 1995 Scottish Health Survey. For example, there was a change between 1995 and 1998 from asking about activities usually done, to asking about those actually done in the last four weeks, and from recording the number of occasions of activity, to recording the number of days of activity. Several question-specific changes were also involved. For example, walking was separated out from sports and exercise activity; the question assessing the intensity of sports and exercise activity was changed; and the questions about heavy housework, gardening and DIY were preceded by new questions about lighter housework, gardening and DIY. As a result of these changes, valid comparisons cannot be made on levels of physical activity in Scotland between 1995 and 1998.
6.2.1 Number of days' participation in different activities
Table 6.1 shows the number of days' participation in the last four weeks in heavy housework, heavy gardening/DIY, walking, sports and exercise and activity at work, along with the mean number of days for all informants (so non-participation is counted as zero days). For each kind of activity, only days on which the activity was done for at least 15 minutes at a time were included.
The table also shows a summary classification of the number of days' participation in any physical activity for at least 15 minutes a time. This classification is likely to over-estimate the number of active days, as it treats each activity as done on a different day. If, for example, an informant participated in heavy DIY and sports on the same day, this would be counted as two days of activity in the summary classification.
For men, the types of activity most likely to be done on at least one day in the past four weeks were sports and exercise (44%) and heavy housework (43%). These activities were followed by walking (32%), heavy gardening/DIY (28%) and lastly occupational activity (20%). Overall, four in five men had done at least one day of activity in the past four weeks.
For women, heavy housework was by a large margin the activity most likely to have been done in the past four weeks, and women were considerably more likely than men to have done this type of activity (62%). All other types of activity were less often mentioned by women than by men (sports and exercise 39%, walking 26%) with occupational activity and heavy gardening/DIY being mentioned least often (12% and 11% respectively). Overall, a similar proportion of women as of men (four in five) had had at least one day of activity in the four weeks prior to interview.
For men, there was a steady decline with age in the proportion taking part in walking (from 45% of those aged 16-24 to 13% of those aged 65-74) and a more dramatic decline with age for sports and exercise (from 78% of those aged 16-24 to 13% of those aged 65-74). The proportions taking part in walking and sports and exercise on 20 days or more in the past four weeks also decreased steadily with age. Similar patterns by age were seen among women for these activities.
The proportions participating in heavy housework and in occupational activity peaked among men aged 25-34 (52% and 27% respectively) and declined with age thereafter, although men's participation in heavy housework saw a slight rise after retirement age (from a low of 32% of those aged 55-64 to 36% of those aged 65-74). Heavy gardening/DIY was most likely to be reported by men aged 25-54 (one-third, compared with around one-fifth of those in the oldest and youngest age groups). Overall, participation in any kind of activity declined steadily with age among men; 95% of men aged 16-24 took part in at least some activity, compared with 55% of men aged 65-74. Figure 6A presents the patterns by age for men's participation in physical activities.
Participation in heavy housework and in heavy gardening/DIY peaked at similar ages among women as among men, with women aged 35-44 being the most likely to take part in them (74% and 15% respectively). After these peaks, there was a steady decline with age for both these activities among women. Participation in occupational activity peaked at a later age for women than for men; it reached a high of 18% among women aged 45-54, with a sharp decline thereafter. Participation in any kind of activity was highest among women aged 25-44, with 89% taking part in at least some activity (although the figure was only a little lower, at 85%, among those aged 16-24). This figure decreased after the age of 44 to 53% among women aged 65-74. Figure 6B shows the patterns by age for women's physical activity.
Figure 6A Percent of men doing each type of activity by age
Figure 6B Percent of women doing each type of activity by age
The mean numbers of days' activity shown in Table 6.1 are based on all informants, including those who did not take part in the activity at all. Age patterns in these means therefore largely reflect age patterns in the proportions taking part in the activity. It is perhaps more informative to look at frequency of activity only for those informants who were active at some level. The mean numbers of days of activity discussed below are therefore based on those taking part in the activity in question on at least one day in the last four weeks.
Among men who reported activity at work in the last four weeks, the mean number of days of activity at work was 19.7 days. This reflected the fact that nearly all men who were active at work, were at work on a full-time basis (and were therefore assumed to be active at work on 20 days in the past four weeks). Among men who reported walking, the mean number of days' walking was 14.8, and among those engaging in sports and exercise, the mean number of days was 11.9. For men who took part in heavy housework and in heavy gardening/DIY, the mean number of days' participation was smaller, at 4.9 days and 5.6 days respectively. Overall, men who did any of the five types of activity in the past four weeks were active on a mean 17.4 days. (These means, based only on those informants who took part in the activity at least once in the past four weeks, are not shown in Table 6.1).
Among women who reported taking part in occupational activity, sports and exercise and gardening/DIY, the mean number of days' participation in each activity was slightly lower than the mean found among men (at 16.9, 9.4 and 4.2 mean days respectively for these activities). On the other hand, the mean among participating women for heavy housework was slightly higher than the mean among men, at 6.0 days, while the mean number of days' walking was similar to that found for men, at 15.9 days. These figures show that for women, as for men, occupational activity, walking and sports and exercise were done on a more frequent basis (by those who participated at all) than heavy housework, gardening or DIY. However, the mean number of days' participation in any of the five types of activity was slightly lower for women than for men, at 14.7. (Again, these means are not shown in Table 6.1).
6.2.2 Time spent participating in different activities
As well as the number of days of activity in the last four weeks, informants were asked how long they had usually spent on the activity on the days (or for walking, on the occasions - see Section 6.1.2) they participated in it. Only occasions of activity lasting 15 minutes or more were counted towards the usual daily total. Table 6.2 shows the number of hours' participation in each type of activity per week, calculated by multiplying the number of days on which the activity was done by the usual time spent on each occasion, and converting to a weekly figure.
Data are shown separately for each type of activity, and for the summary classification of all types of physical activity. For the summary classification, activity at work is counted as 10 hours per week for full-time workers and six hours per week for part-time workers.
The proportions spending any time on each activity have already been discussed, with reference to Table 6.1. Age patterns in the mean number of hours per week spent on each activity (based on all informants) tended to reflect age patterns in the proportions who spent any time on each activity.
Nearly four men in ten (38%) spent seven hours or more per week _ an average of an hour or more per day _ in physical activity. The figure for women was considerably lower, at 25%. For men, this proportion declined steadily with age from 51% of those aged 16-24 to 13% of those aged 65-74. For women, the proportion was 27% among those aged 16-24, rising to 33% among those aged 35-44 and thereafter falling to just 7% among those aged 65-74.
Means based on those participating in activities suggested that walking was the activity on which most time was spent per week; men who reported walking spent a mean 5.5 hours, while women who engaged in walking spent a mean 5.1 hours. A similar amount of time was spent on heavy gardening/DIY by men who reported participating in this type of activity (5.5 hours), although the figure was lower, at 3.1 hours, for participating women. Sports and exercise activities were done for a mean 3.4 hours per week by participating men, and again, the figure was a little lower (at 2.2 hours) for participating women. Heavy housework was the only activity done for more hours per week by participating women than by participating men (2.8 hours compared with 1.8 hours). Overall, then, the time spent on physical activity each week was greater for active men than for active women (9.2 hours compared with 6.5). These means, based only on those reporting participation in each activity, are not shown in Table 6.2. (Means based on all informants are shown in the table.)
6.2.3 Maximum intensity level attained
In Table 6.3, the maximum intensity level attained is shown. This is a summary measure, which classifies informants according to the maximum intensity level reached in any type of activity in the past four weeks. The measure takes no account of the duration or frequency of the activity, so the proportions of men and women classified as moderately or vigorously active are higher than in previous tables.
One-fifth of men had their maximum intensity level classed either as inactive (7%) or light (12%). Nearly half reached at most a moderate intensity level (46%), while just over one-third (35%) reached a vigorous intensity level.
The same proportion of women as of men were classed as inactive (7%), or as reaching a light level of activity (12%). However, women were less likely than men to reach a vigorous level of activity; one-quarter (24%) did so, compared with over one-third of men (35%).
The maximum intensity level reached varied widely by age. The proportion of men reaching a vigorous level of activity saw a sharp decline with age, from seven in ten (71%) of those aged 16-24, to just one in twenty (5%) of those aged 65-74. In addition, the percentage defined as inactive rose with age, from a tiny proportion of those aged 16-24 (1%) to one in six (17%) of those aged 55-74.
As with men, there was a steady decrease with age in the proportion of women engaging in activities at a vigorous level, but the drop was from a much smaller peak. Four in ten (41%) of women aged 16-24 attained the vigorous intensity level, compared with one in twenty (5%) of those aged 65-74. The proportion who were inactive rose from 3% of those aged 16-24 to one-fifth (21%) of those aged 65-74.
6.2.4 Physical activity at work
All adults who were in paid employment or self-employed in the four weeks before interview were asked whether their job involved mainly sitting down, standing up or walking about; whether they did any climbing at work (besides climbing stairs); and whether they had to lift or carry heavy objects. Answers given are shown in Table 6.4.
A majority of employed men (57%) reported that their job involved them in lifting and/or carrying heavy loads. This was reported more frequently by younger men (three-quarters _ 75% - of those aged 16-24, compared with around half of those aged 35-74). A little over one-third (35%) of men reported doing some climbing. Again, this was more likely to be reported by younger men - just over four in ten (43%) of those aged 16-24, compared with three in ten (31%) of those aged 55-74.
Employed women were somewhat less likely than men to say their job involved any of these activities. The most common activity reported was lifting and/or carrying heavy loads (47%). This was most frequently reported by women aged 16-24 (53%), although the relationship with age was not as clear-cut as for men. Only one in ten women (9%) said they had to do any climbing in the course of their work, with the proportion remaining low in every age group. One-quarter of both men and women said their job involved mainly walking about.
Overall, seven men in ten (69%) reported lifting or carrying heavy loads, walking about or climbing at work; among men aged 16-24, the proportion was eight in ten (81%). Nearly four in ten men (37%) said their work involved at least two of these activities, and the proportion was five in ten (50%) among those aged 16-24.
About six women in ten (58%) did at least one of these activities at work, with those aged 25-34 being least likely to report doing so (53%). Just over one in five (22%) were involved in two or more of these activities at work, with women aged 45-54 reporting this most frequently (25%).
6.3 OVERALL LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
6.3.1 Definitions of summary measures
'Old' frequency-intensity level
This classification measures activity levels in relation to the 'old' guideline, whereby adults were advised to take part in vigorous activity at least three times a week, for 20 minutes at a time.
Activity at work was counted as 20 days in the past four weeks for full-time workers whose jobs were classified as moderate or vigorous, and 12 days in the past four weeks for part-time workers whose jobs were so classified.
The classification employs the following six levels for activity in the past four weeks:
Revised summary activity level
This is the newer summary classification, and is the one more commonly used in this chapter. It classifies informants in relation to the revised activity guideline, according to which adults should take part in five or more occasions per week of at least moderate activity, for a total of at least 30 minutes per day.
As for the old summary measure, work activity was counted as 20 days in the past four weeks for full-time workers whose jobs were at least moderately active, and 12 days for part-time workers with at least moderately active jobs.
This classification employs the following three levels for activity in the past four weeks:
Group 3 informants are physically active at the level recommended under the revised guideline.
6.3.2 Participation in physical activities
'Old' frequency-intensity level
Table 6.5 shows the distributions for the 'old' frequency-intensity summary measure for men and women of different ages.
One-fifth (22%) of men were classed as inactive (that is, at Level 0) on this summary measure, while just over one-quarter reached Level 1 or Level 2. One-quarter (24%) were active at Level 3, and 12% at Level 4. Only one in eight (13%) were active at the 'old' recommended level of three or more 20-minute occasions of vigorous activity per week.
The proportion of women classed as inactive on this measure (22%) was the same as that seen for men. However, women who were active were more likely than men to be active at lower levels (nearly four in ten at Level 1 or 2) and less likely to be active at higher levels. Just one in twenty (5%) women were active at the 'old' recommended level (Level 5).
The proportion of inactive men rose with age from 6% of those aged 16-24 to just under half (47%) of those aged 65-74. There was a corresponding drop across the age groups in the proportion active at level 3 or above, from seven in ten (69%) among those aged 16-24 to one in five (21%) of those aged 65-74.
Around one woman in seven aged 16-44 was inactive. After the age of 44, inactivity became increasingly common among women, rising to half (50%) among those aged 65-74. The proportion active at the highest two levels (4 and 5) decreased with age from about one-quarter (24%) among those aged 16-24 to just 2% among those aged 65-74. Even among those aged 16-24, however, the proportion active at the 'old' guideline level was less than one in ten (8%).
Revised summary activity level
Table 6.6 presents the average number of days per week of participation in at least moderate activity for 30 minutes or more, and the summary activity level based on this number, by sex and age group. Those in Group 3 on the summary activity level are the proportions in the population who met the current recommended level for adults (of at least 30 minutes' moderate activity on five or more days per week).
Four men in ten (38%) met the current guideline. Three in ten (29%) took part in at least 30 minutes' moderate activity on between one and four days per week (Group 2). A slightly higher proportion (33%) did less activity than this (Group 1), including 23% who did not take part in 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity on any days in the past four weeks.
Among women, 27% met the current guideline for physical activity - somewhat less than the 38% found among men. Thirty five percent were in the medium-activity group (Group 2) and 38% in the lowest-activity group (Group 1). However, women were no more likely than men were to report no moderate or vigorous activity for 30 minutes or more (24%).
As with the 'old' summary measure, levels of activity on this measure were related to age. While the proportion of men in the lowest-activity group increased steadily with age (from 14% among those aged 16-24 to 62% among those aged 65-74), the proportion active at the recommended level decreased from 55% among those aged 16-24 to 14% of those aged 65-74.
There was little difference in the activity levels of women in the age groups below the age of 45; around one-third of women in each of these age groups were in Group 3. After the age of 45, a decline with age in the proportion active at the recommended level was observed, with just 8% of women aged 65-74 being in Group 3. The proportion in the least active category reached a peak of two-thirds (67%) in this age group.
Combined activity classification
As the old and new guidelines for physical activity differ in recommended frequency, duration and intensity, informants who meet one guideline will not necessarily meet the other. For example, someone who did four bouts of vigorous activity, each of 25 minutes' duration, would more than meet the old guideline level (and obtain health benefits from doing so), but would still fall short of the revised level on both frequency and duration. Table 6.7 sets out the proportions of the population who were active at both, either or neither of the guideline levels.
Overall, four men in ten (41%) reached at least one of the two guideline levels. A further four in ten (38%) were active below the recommended levels, but moderately or vigorously active on at least one day a week, while the remaining one in five (21%) were inactive in the four weeks prior to interview. Men were much more likely to meet the new guideline level than the old one: 38% met the new guideline (including 11% who also met the old one), while 13% met the old guideline (again including the 11% who also met the new one).
For women, the overall proportion reaching either guideline level was just below three in ten (28%). Half (50%) of women were active, but failed to reach either guideline level, while a similar proportion of women as of men were classed as inactive on both measures (22%). Women, like men, were more likely to attain the new recommended activity level than the old one: 27% met the new level (including 4% who met both), compared with only 5% who met the old level (again including 4% who met both).
As seen in previous tables, the proportion of men who were active at recommended levels decreased with age. While six in ten (60%) men aged 16-24 met at least one of the guidelines, this figure dropped to 14% among those aged 65-74. The proportion who were inactive on both the old and new measures rose from just 5% among men aged 16-24 to just under half (47%) among those aged 65-74.
For women as for men, there was a decrease with age in the proportion
reaching at least one of the guideline levels. However, for women, this decrease
only occurred after the age of 44: around one-third of women up to the age of
44 met at least one of the levels, compared with just 8% of those aged 65-74.
The proportion inactive on both measures, on the other hand, rose from around
one in seven women aged between 16 and 44 to half (50%) of women aged
65-74.
6.4 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BY SOCIAL CLASS AND REGION
In recognition of the fact that physical activity levels are strongly related to age, and that regions and social classes vary in their age profiles, the data have been age standardised for these analyses. The figures quoted in the text below are based on the age-standardised data; the corresponding tables show both age-standardised and observed percentages.
6.4.1 Summary activity level by social class
Men in the manual social classes were more likely than men in the non-manual classes to be in Group 3 (meeting the current recommended level for physical activity). Just over four in ten in the manual classes compared with around one-third in the non-manual classes were in this category, reflecting the higher levels of physical activity at work experienced by men in manual occupations. However, men in manual social classes were also more likely to be in the least active group, Group 1 (moderately active for 30 minutes or more on less than one day per week); in particular, those in Class V were nearly twice as likely as those in Class I to be in this group (43% compared with 23%).
Women in the manual social classes were more likely than women in the non-manual social classes to be in the least active group, Group 1, with the gap between Classes I and V (29% and 42% respectively) being similar to that found for men. However, the proportions meeting the current guideline (Group 3) varied little between social classes, ranging from 25% to 30%.
Figure 6C presents the proportions of men and women meeting current guidelines for activity, by social class.
Figure 6C Percent meeting revised activity guideline, by social class and sex
6.4.2 Components of activity by social class
Among men, the mean number of days of occupational activity was a great deal higher in the manual classes than in the non-manual classes. For example, those in Social Class V spent a mean of 6.3 days on activity at work, compared with 1.0 days for those in Social Class I. The opposite was true for walking and for sports and exercise. For example, men in Class I took part in sports and exercise on a mean 8.6 days in the four weeks prior to interview, compared with a mean of 2.6 days among men in Class V. Patterns by social class for heavy housework and heavy gardening/DIY activities were less clear, although those in the partly skilled and unskilled classes - IV and V - were the least likely to take part in heavy gardening/DIY (1.2 and 0.9 days respectively).
For women, the mean number of days' activity at work was also higher in the manual classes than in the non-manual classes, but the difference was much smaller than for men. For example, women in Class V spent a mean 2.1 days on occupational activity, compared with 1.4 for women in Class I. The number of days' participation in sports and exercise declined across the social classes for women as it did for men, from 5.1 days among women in Social Class I to 1.7 days among women in Social Class V. A similar pattern by social class was seen for participation in walking, with women in Class I taking part on a mean 6.2 days, compared with 3.2 days for women in Class V. The picture for heavy gardening/DIY activities was again unclear. For heavy housework differences across social classes were small, the lowest being 3.6 days in Class II and the highest 4.0 days in the past four weeks in Class IV.
6.4.3 Summary activity level by region
Among men, the lowest proportions in Group 3 (the group meeting the current target) were in Greater Glasgow and in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran (34% and 35% respectively, compared with 40-42% in other regions). Correspondingly, men in these two regions were more likely than men elsewhere to be in the least active group (Group 1) _ 39% in each region, compared with 28%-32% in other regions. The figures quoted are age standardised.
Women in Greater Glasgow were also among the most likely to be in Group 1, along with women in Grampian and Tayside (44% and 42% respectively).
6.4.4 Components of activity by region
For men, the picture broken down by the individual components of activity was less clear than the picture for activity overall. Although they were the least active overall, men in Greater Glasgow took part in heavy housework on the greatest mean number of days in the four weeks prior to interview (2.5, compared with a national average of 2.1). Men in Highland and Islands took part most frequently in heavy gardening/DIY activities (2.7 days compared with an average of 1.6 days). Men in Lothian and Fife took part relatively often in walking (6.0 days) along with men in Borders, Dumfries and Galloway (5.5 days); this compared with means of 4.0 to 4.8 days in other regions. Men in Greater Glasgow reported the lowest mean number of days' participation in activity at work: 2.7 days, compared with 5.0 days in Highland and Islands and a national average of 3.9. Differences by region for participation in sports and exercise activities were not large.
Patterns were equally mixed for women across the regions, and bore no strong relation to the patterns seen for men. Women in Forth Valley, Argyll and Clyde reported the greatest mean number of days engaged in heavy housework (4.5 days), while those in Grampian and Tayside reported the least (2.9 days in the past four weeks). Women in Forth Valley, Argyll and Clyde also did heavy gardening/DIY activities relatively frequently (0.7 days), along with women in Highland and Islands (1.0 days); the national average was 0.4. Mean number of days walking was highest in Highland and Islands, Lothian and Fife and in Borders, Dumfries and Galloway at 4.7 to 4.8, compared with 3.3 to 4.1 days in other regions. Participation in sports and exercise was highest in Lothian and Fife: 4.4 days as against 3.7 days nationally. Little difference was seen between women in different regions for occupational activity.
6.5 COMPARISON BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND
6.5.1 Summary activity level
Between the ages of 16 and 54, men in Scotland were about as likely as men in England both to have taken part in 30 or more minutes' moderate or vigorous activity at least once in the four weeks prior to interview, and to have done so with the recommended frequency (five or more times per week). At age 55 and over, however, men in England showed higher rates of activity. Just under two-thirds of men of this age in England (66% at 55-64, 62% at 65-74) had taken part at least once in the four weeks before interview, compared with just over half of men of this age in Scotland (54% at 55-64, 51% at 65-74). The proportion for Northern England lay between these. Men aged 55-64 in England were also more likely to be active at the recommended level _ one-third (32%) were active at this level five or more times per week, compared with one-quarter (26%) of men aged 55-64 in Scotland.
For women, a similar though slightly smaller variation between the two countries was evident among informants aged 55-74 (again, there were no differences among younger informants). For women aged 55-64, the proportion active on at least one day in the past four weeks was 71% in England and 65% in Scotland (with the figure for Northern England being close to the England figure, at 69%), and a similar gap was seen for those aged 65-74. Women aged 65-74 in England and Northern England were also a little more likely than their counterparts in Scotland to meet the current guidelines for physical activity (12% and 13% respectively compared with 8%).
6.5.2 Components of activity
Differences between Scotland and England in terms of participation in individual components of activity were not large. Younger men in Scotland took part in heavy housework and heavy gardening/DIY a little more often than younger men in England -for example, heavy housework was done on a mean 1.7 days in the last four weeks by men aged 16-24 in Scotland, compared with 1.2 days for men of this age in England. In the older age groups, this pattern was reversed -for example, men aged 65-74 in England took part in heavy gardening/DIY on a mean 2.0 days, compared with 1.4 days for men of this age in Scotland. Differences between Scotland and Northern England for heavy gardening/DIY followed the same pattern as differences between Scotland and England, but little difference was seen between Scotland and Northern England for heavy housework.
Under the age of 35, men in Scotland appeared to engage in walking a little less frequently than men in England (for example, men aged 16-24 in Scotland reported a mean of 7.4 days' walking, compared with 8.9 days for men of this age in England). Among older men, there was little difference between Scotland and England, although older men in Northern England did less walking than older men either in England as a whole, or in Scotland.
There was also little difference in the frequency of taking part in sports and exercise, although men aged 35-64 in England did so slightly more often than their counterparts in Scotland (for example, the figure was 2.4 mean days for men in England aged 55-64, compared with 1.4 days in Scotland). This difference was not seen between Scotland and Northern England.
For women, comparisons with England showed few differences for the individual components of activity. Older women in Scotland took part in heavy housework and in walking a little less often than their counterparts in England - for example, women aged 65-74 in Scotland reported a mean 2.3 days' heavy housework in the four weeks before interview, compared with 2.9 days in England. Other than this, patterns of participation were similar for all activities. Comparisons with Northern England suggested that women in Scotland did more walking, at least between the ages of 35 and 64. Women in Northern England, however, did more days of heavy housework than women in Scotland in every age group (4.4 mean days compared with 3.7 mean days overall).