One in eight people in Islington are not physically active and children’s activity levels are even lower, according to the Islington Public Health Report.
Jonathan O’Sullivan, Islington Council’s director of public health, said at a council health meeting on Tuesday that children and young people in Islington are “much less likely to be physically active” than adults.
“Where we don’t do so well is with children and young people,” he said. “Either we are worse than the national average or about the same.”
Sport England’s children and young people’s survey 2023-2024 found that 45 per cent of children and young people in Islington get less than the UK Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
Anthony Klein, co-founder of Hollow Rocks, a sports and social club on Essex Road, said he was not surprised by the statistics. He said his motivation for setting up the club was to run a variety of activities for children and adults, including basketball and netball.
“We get a lot of comments that [activity] is helpful for kids, not just from a physical sport perspective,” he said, emphasising the importance of exercise for general wellbeing.
Klein added that parents tell them the physical activity helps their children with “behavioural stuff. They say that their kid is much more confident now and socialising better with other kids… We are seeing the impact is really mental.”
O’Sullivan said the findings of the report reflect deepening social inequality in the borough. He added that the statistics are “signs of a borough where we have got extremes of poverty and extremes of affluence”.
Islington has a child poverty rate of 38%, higher than the London average.
In the UK, children from less affluent families are 12% less likely to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day compared to those from the most affluent families, according to Sport England’s report.
Una O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council, said: “I think there is more we can do, as a child-friendly borough, for children.
“It is still not enough if we are really going to look after the next generation.”
Clare Walsh is the beat reporter for St Mary's and St James'. She is passionate about keeping locals up to date on important stories. She is a freelance journalist, and has written for publications including Varsity and Cambridge Creatives.