Research has found that nearly half of Londoners have pledged to take more responsibility for their health now that covid precautions have been eased, writes Sanjana Idnani.
Go for the burn: 10% of Londoners say they took no notice of Joe Wicks and his exercise sessions during the covid lockdowns
The research, conducted on behalf of private healthcare and gym operating charity Nuffield Health, found that 52 per cent of Londoners are now more aware of actions that can boost their physical and mental health.
The findings from Nuffield Health’s Healthier Nation Index showed that, over the course of the lockdown, 47 per cent of Londoners had used food as a treat more frequently, yet more than one-third found it harder to eat healthily during the last 18 months.
Other findings from the survey suggest that despite all the pieces of advice, encouragement and viral social media fitness sessions with the likes of coach Joe Wicks, 1-in-10 Londoners still admitted to having not spent any time doing even moderate exercise over the last year.
Only 16 per cent – about 1-in-6 of us – say they reached the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
The survey found that more than one-third of Londoners, 37 per cent, had not spent any time on their mental health.
There have been other surveys conducted recently in Croydon which seem to support the findings. A survey by Croydon Healthwatch found 60 per cent saying that their mental health was adversely affected by the impact of the pandemic.
Now that covid-19 precautions have eased, Londoners are saying that they plan to invest more time and money into their mental health and physical health.
Researchers for Nuffield Health found that Londoners plan to spend an average of £2,094 on their physical health over the next year. Gym fees at a Nuffield Health gym (there are three in Croydon, on Surrey Street, at the Colonnades on the Purley Way, and in Norbury) works out at more than £700 in a year.
The expected spend on counselling or therapy sessions averaged at £351 per year for Londoners, more than twice the national average.
On average, those in the capital also plan to spend more on meditation or sleep apps compared to the rest of the UK.
Dr Davina Deniszczyc, Nuffield Health’s medical director, said, “The multiple lockdowns we have experienced over the last year have understandably taken a toll on the mental and physical health of everyone in London and across the UK.
“It is really encouraging to see that Londoners are planning to take positive action to boost their mental and physical health post-lockdown.”
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- ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: Croydon was named the country’s rottenest borough in 2020 in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine – the fourth successive year that Inside Croydon has been the source for such award-winning nominations
- Inside Croydon: 3million page views in 2020. Seen by 1.4million unique visitors
Croydon’s Award as Rottenest Borough seems unfair. Or at least It did to me as a north London resident of Haringey.
Croydon has an unfair advantage: the successful Inside Croydon website.
Many people have known about rottenness in Haringey. But we’ve got no independent, professional “Inside” website letting everyone look behind the secrecy curtain. Sure there’s tweeting and blogging about on various stinks and local messes. Some of it makes the pages of newspapers and websites in other boroughs. The Ham&High based in Camden has excellent journalists. They covered several recent ripe & putrid local scandals of ours.
This included a few of the worst giant pratfall schemes of the previous Council administration. Such as 12million quid wasted in paying double for the freehold of Alexandra House in Wood Green N22. An office building Haringey previously leased.
But coverage remains patchy.
So, readers of “Inside Croydon”, please appreciate how very lucky you are!
Tell your friends and neighbours about the site.
Tip-off Steven Downes about potential local stories. I assume that as in Haringey lots of people know about the secrets, cover-ups, favoured friends, families and businesses etc.
But the point is not who knows, but who gets caught.
Clearly Nuffields health Survey managed not to capture many in the central or north of the borough. Walking the streets during lock down periods and one would think there was no pandemic at all other than the occasional masks. In fact watching the processions up and down the street one would think that Croydon had gone on a health craze or having a 24hr walkathon, and that was just to replenish the snow supply. It is murder when even the speed dial dealers have a queue. I can imagine it going – please press 1. for regular supply 2 for big hit 3. for group isolation party time 4. for home alone binge 5. new customers 6. Key worker discounts. 7 Complaints
No seriously no one would try to beat the D and A unannounced testing regime during a pandemic nor most definitely not be selling in Windmill park due to the LTN over the road.
This Pandemic has been difficult for peoples mental and physical health. It is also unrelenting on those in frontline services actually attending work and having to go out and about or deal with the illness and death first hand.
In addition much of this will have not helped underlying problems. It will also not have helped people understand how best to look after themselves with the forced couch potato lifestyle.
More to the point – many have not been able to see a GP for standard check ups to even more serious chronic issues. Hospital have had to cancel operations from day surgery to even life changing ones.
This Council has no money and definitely no ideas of what to do. But perhaps Croydon Social walkathons – games etc can be ad hoc organised with local volunteers perhaps at local parks or recreation areas – We could even involve the Local SNTs to send a person if resource permits to assist and perhaps do open air surgery or Q + A sessions for what is key to that ward.
Or have open sports events with silly egg and spoon races or other quirky and fun activities with a ffp3 mask as 1st prize.
We could have quizzes with prizes like a no queue GP appointment or a Contact the Council phone line with a person to answer within 2 minutes or a I.O.U on we will actually attend your burglary etc.
Come on folks we could have a raffle on those prizes and make money to actually resource some services. Who would not pay a pound to win one of those three prizes?
August is nearly here and effective utilisation of the (remaining) open spaces could allow local community residents to meet together with minimal risk outdoors and have some interaction with some info and games thrown in.
Getting things moving in some manner to allow at least a modicum of safe social contact can have better immediate and long term benefits than just counselling and therapy. especially with waiting lists for such treatments poorly funded and mostly run by charities. SLAM was on restricted resources and fire fight mode prior to the pandemic and this has not improved since. CAMHS not much better. Again overworked front line staff taking the brunt of this.
As an aside can I suggest that politicians stop fighting over the additional %pay and give all working frontline staff in those face to face areas a decent merit award for last year and if this continues again this year – yes include those Police and Council workers and others who have supported services throughout. And a weeks extra holiday too to enjoy a break. – You will find it is not as costly as a consolidated pay rise and more useful for their mental and physical health and future performance and therefore contribute to Residents overall health as service improce
Doing something has got to be better than binging on Netflix or waiting for Croydon’s Cardinal or M’lady to respond clearly and openly.