Snacktivity^TM is a major study exploring ways to help people be more physical activity in their daily lives. Funded by the NIHR, Snacktivity began in 2019 and will be completed in 2027.

Snacktivity has worked with over 2,000 members of the public who have guided our research and helped us identify ways to help people be more active.

What is Snacktivity?

Snacktivity is a way to help people be more physically active by breaking down the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity into manageable 1-5 minute activities – known as ‘activity snacks’ - that work around people’s daily lives.

Activity snacks include:

• Getting off the bus a stop early or parking further away and walking to your destination
• Doing calf raises while brushing your teeth
• Having a kitchen disco while cooking
• Doing squats while scrolling social media
• Taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator
• Using a shopping basket instead of a trolley

Why do we need Snacktivity?

Physical activity guidelines in the UK state that adults aged 19-64 should do 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week - activities that raise your pulse and make you slightly out of breath, or 75 minutes of higher intensity activity, or a combination of both. Strength-based activities should be included twice a week too. These guidelines are slightly different for younger and older people.

In the UK, around 65% of the population achieves this, which means that nearly 17 million people do not do enough physical activity to maintain optimal health.

Activity levels are not equal across the regions of UK, with women, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, Black and Asian ethnicities, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions also having lower activity levels. For individuals with two or more of these characteristics, activity levels are even lower still.

How can Snacktivity help?

Snacktivity has been designed to overcome the barriers that prevent many people from doing enough physical activity.

• All activities take less than 5 minutes and can be done at any time, Snacktivity doesn’t require lengthy sessions or commitment to a timetable.
• There’s no specialist equipment required and even weight-based activities use regular household goods such as food tins.
• All snacks can be done in everyday clothing.
• We have designed snacks suitable for indoors and outdoors so they aren’t dependent on weather or light levels.
• There are snacks suitable for everybody regardless of age, weight, body shape, disability, ethnicity or gender.

We have already published several research papers on Snacktivity, to discover more about our latest findings please visit our research spotlights.