NOO has published a briefing paper which identifies and describes the main sources of national-level surveillance data on physical activity in adults and children in England.

Download: Physical activity surveillance in England: what is measured and where are the gaps?

• Active People New physical activity data from the Active People Survey (APS)
  The Active People Survey is a large telephone survey of sport and active recreation among adults (16+) in England, commissioned by Sport England. The survey measures participation in sport and active recreation, and provides details of how participation varies from place to place and between different groups in the population. The survey also measures other sport-related issues such as volunteering; club membership; tuition or coaching; and overall satisfaction with levels of sporting provision in the local community. The survey began in October 2005, and is repeated annually. The survey provides the measurement for the former National Indicator 8 (NI8) - adult participation in sport and active recreation.
• General Household Survey
  The General Lifestyle Survey (GLF), formerly known as the General Household Survey (GHS) is a multi-purpose continuous survey carried out by the Social Survey Division of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which collects information on a range of topics from people living in private households in Great Britain. The survey started in 1971 and has been carried out continuously since then, except for breaks in 1997/98 (when the survey was reviewed) and 1999/2000 when the survey was re-developed. The General Household Survey (GHS) was renamed the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF/GLS) in 2008. The Office for National Statistics has stated that the survey will not continue in its current format after January 2012.
• Labour Force Survey
  The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a quarterly sample survey of households living at private addresses in Great Britain. Its purpose is to provide information on the UK labour market that can then be used to develop, manage, evaluate and report on labour market policies. The questionnaire design, sample selection, and interviewing are carried out by the Social and Vital Statistics Division of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Statistical Outputs Group of the ONS.
• Taking Part
  The Taking Part Survey gives detail on adult (16 plus) participation and attendance covering all DCMS sectors that will provide the ability to carry out statistically robust analysis at cross-sectoral, socio-demographic sub-group and regional levels.
• Time Use Survey
  The UK 2000 Time Use Survey was conducted on behalf of a funding consortium consisting of: the Economic and Social Research Council; the Department of Culture, Media and Sport; the Department for Education and Skills; the Department of Health; the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions; and the Office for National Statistics.
• National Travel Survey
  The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a continuous survey on personal travel. It provides the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) with data to answer a variety of policy and transport research questions. The survey has been running on an ad hoc basis since 1965 and continuously since 1988.
• Health Survey for England (HSE)
  The Health Survey for England is an annual survey undertaken since 1991, which also contains physical activity data along side other indicators. The HSE is currently commissioned by the Information Centre (and before 2005 was commissioned by the Department of Health) to monitor the health of the population. This is currently the most robust data source to monitor trends in adult obesity in England and includes nutrition data.
• Annual School Census (ASC)
  The Department for Children, Schools and Families coordinates an annual school census. This comprises termly collections with different data required on each occasion, at school level and pupil level. The pupil-level census collects data on pupils' 'usual mode of travel'. While the format of this question only allows a snapshot, it has the advantage of being asked of all pupils in state schools.