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Being a 'busy mother' and perspectives on physical activity

Title
Being a 'busy mother' and perspectives on physical activity

Research Area
Tackling Inactivity    

Author
Sport England

Summary of Findings
1,006 mothers who had children aged between 0 and 6 were surveyed for Sport England. They were asked about their priorities outside work and their feelings around exercise. Only 17% of those surveyed said that their own exercise was one of their priorities although 77% said they wanted to do more exercise. Barriers to exercise included lack of time and cost of keeping fit. 61% reported they would feel guilty about taking time to exercise despite 69% believing it is important for children to see their mothers exercising.

Implications
The barriers to activity are bespoke to individuals. Active Black Country believe that everyone has the right to be active and it's important to understand how we can address issues such as 'lack of time' by making it easier for people to build more incidental activity into their daily routines.