Luton's 'Fitness to Fit You' exercise survey
Working in partnership with Healthwatch Luton, LBC’s Public Health Team undertook a survey in during January and February to get a snapshot of local women’s preferences around exercise.
Results of survey
Results from this will inform planning and commissioning activity as we come out of the pandemic, for example through our new Sport and Physical Activity Strategy currently in development.
Responses came from across communities and the majority of respondents fell into the working age bracket.
Top line findings from the survey shows the most popular types of activity were:
1. endurance exercises such as:
- swimming and water based classes {aqua fit}
- aerobics and danced based exercise {high energy}
- indoor cycle classes {spin}
- gym
- weights
- walking
2. mobility and flexibility classes such as:
- Pilates
- Tai Chi
- yoga
3. martial Arts such as:
- boxing
- judo
- jujitsu
- karate
- taekwondo or self-defence
4. team sports such as:
- basketball
- football
- hockey
- netball
- cricket
That said, interest in all types was good and the differences were not great.
Given a range of costs, a majority believed that £3-5 was a reasonable amount to pay for a class.
Respondents overall mostly preferred:
- outdoors
- gym
- community centre
- at home
However more than twice as many preferred to use designated exercise facilities than those who didn’t.
Encouragingly, a majority of respondents were willing in principle to exercise:
- three or more times a week
- twice a week
- then once a week
A very small minority suggested they would only exercise fortnightly or monthly.
Of things considered important to the exercise experience, women-only opportunities and facilities were mentioned frequently.
Just over three quarters of respondents said that they were not affected by any condition that limited their ability to participate, just over twenty per cent were with the remainder not specifying.
Further information
Watch this space for links to the new Sport and Physical Activity Strategy and in the meantime why not take a look at some of the sports and fitness opportunities available nearby?