Sir Chris Whitty to give evidence on boosting physical activity in older people to promote healthy ageing
Sir Chris Whitty will give evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee on how to increase physical activity amongst older people as it kicks off its inquiry into Healthy Ageing.
Meeting details
The Government’s Chief Medical Officer authored a report on the subject in 2023 that called for the Government to focus on maximising independence and minimising the time spent in ill health between reaching older age and the end of life. The Active Lives Survey in 2024 showed that rates of activity drop as people progress from nearing retirement to end of life. The proportion of people 55–74-year-old doing 30 minutes or more exercise a week was 75%, dropping to 60% between 75 and 84, and just 37% for 85s and over.
Sir Muir Gray and representatives from Age UK and the Centre for Ageing Better will also give evidence on inactivity amongst older people and the importance of addressing inequalities in healthy life expectancy.
In 2018, Public Health England estimated that the cost of treating older people with conditions and injuries related to muscle and bone weakness amounted to £2.5bn annually.