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It cannot all be focused on getting the inactive people active; it needs also to be about how we can make sure that people who are currently active stay active.
Employers should invest in mental wellbeing services and flexible working policies to boost Scotland’s economic activity rates.
The report considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Scotland’s labour market, looking specifically at long-term illness and early retirement as drivers of economic inactivity.
Counter to this is the imbalance of investment where the policy priority is PA and reducing inactivity whereas the priority for investment is within sport and therefore, for a section of society who are already active.
Judy Edwards from Stirling Council told the Committee:
We are trying to get the most inactive children to be active and we have a focus on girls in sport, but we hear evidence from our schools and nurseries that the gap is growing.
Keeping Active
Engaging in regular moderate-intensity physical activity mitigates multiple hallmarks of ageing and encouraging physical activity is a key strategy for promoting healthy ageing across the life course1Qiu, Y. (2025).