Topic description and stories

Family playing frisbee

Mums’ activity levels may depend on number and ages of children

16 Nov 2022

Less than half of mums meet the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity – and mothers of younger children manage to do the least...

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Children running

Physical activity may help to close the wealth gap in school attainment by improving self-control

20 May 2021

Guaranteeing every child the opportunity to participate in certain types of physical activity could support their academic attainment and help to...

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Man using laptop in office

Desk-based jobs may offer protection against poor cognition in later life

07 Jul 2020

People who work in jobs that require less physical activity – typically office and desk-based jobs – are at a lower risk of subsequent poor cognition...

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Children who walk to school less likely to be overweight or obese, study suggests

20 May 2019

Children who regularly walk or cycle to school are less likely to be overweight or obese than those who travel by car or public transport, a new...

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Walking

Physical activity, even in small amounts, benefits both physical and psychological well-being

05 Jan 2017

The largest-ever smartphone-based study examining the relationship between physical activity and happiness has found that even minimal levels of...

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Walk Alone...

Lack of exercise responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity

14 Jan 2015

A brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual’s risk of early death, according to new research published today. The study...

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Wellies

When mothers are active so are their children – but many mothers are not

24 Mar 2014

A study of physical activity patterns of women and their four-year-olds reveals a strong association between the two. It also shows that only 53% of...

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Glass of wine

Nudging consumers towards better health

25 May 2012

It seems at once the simplest and most complex of health problems: by eating healthily, not smoking, being more active and cutting down on alcohol...

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Couch Potatoing

Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity: understanding these silent killers

14 May 2012

Population-based interventions for tackling unhealthy diet and physical inactivity could save millions of lives. An ambitious research programme is...

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