Almost 300,000 more people are doing 150 minutes of activity a week according new figures released from Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey May 2017/18.

The report also shows that inactivity levels – people doing fewer than 30 minutes of activity a week – dropped by 116,000 over the same time period.

Based on a sample of almost 185,000 respondents to their survey, 297,400 more people in England, aged 16 and above, are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

As well as this, the report shows 116,400 fewer people are now classed as inactive and are therefore doing more than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, with a particular change being noticed in older adults aged 55-75 – a key target group in Sport England’s strategy Towards an Active Nation.

Nick Pontefract, Sport England’s chief operating officer, said: “There are some positive results here in terms of more people getting active, and I am pleased that we are beginning to see a reduction in inactivity.”

“It’s also very clear that the activity habits of the nation are changing, with people finding the activities that best suit them and their lives.”

The survey also revealed interesting trends in people’s choice of activities.

Walking, both for leisure and travel, grew in popularity, with nearly one million more people walking at moderate intensity.

The positive trend in activity applies to men and women equally, but comparatively women are still significantly less likely to be active than men, with 14.2 million active men (16+) and 13.8 million active women (16+).

As expected, the extremely cold and wet weather in February, March and April had a significant impact on some outdoor sports, notably football and cycling as 303,800 fewer people cycled during the 12-month period, with notable drops in participation between December and March.

There was also a marked decline in swimming, with 360,400 fewer people taking part.