Understanding the experiences of physically inactive people in mid-life

Physical inactivity is one of the top risk factors for developing conditions that lead to preventable disability in later life. Yet the proportion of people who are physically inactive generally increases with age. And those who are unemployed, have a long-term condition or disability, are from black and minority ethnic groups or are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to be inactive than others of the same age. These groups are thus at increased risk of poor health outcomes in later life. Ageing Better wants to understand more about the diversity of experiences of people in mid-life who are physically inactive. To address this, we are commissioning a research project encompassing an evidence review and qualitative research with a diverse group of physically inactive people in mid-life. We want to summarise the existing evidence base on inactivity as it relates to our age cohort, looking at who is most likely to be inactive, and some of the enablers and barriers they identify. We know that much of the existing evidence comes from surveys and does not always sufficiently explore our specific age cohort. We therefore believe that capturing the attitudes and experiences of the most inactive through a qualitative piece of work will give us a richer understanding of how physical inactivity intersects with people's life stages and personal characteristics. This ITT is one of two projects that we are commissioning to initiate our work on physical activity.