Levels of physical activity among boys in England continue to be worse now than compared to seven years ago, with girls showing a very slight improvement during the period, according to an NHS health trends survey.

Figures released by NHS Digital show that the proportion of boys meeting physical activity recommendations fell from 28 per cent in 2008 to 21 per cent in 2012. It remained at the lower level in 2015, at 23 per cent.

Among girls there was no significant change in the proportion meeting physical activity recommendations over the seven-year period, with 19 per cent in 2008 and 20 per cent in 2015.

According to chief medical officer recommendations, children under five years of age, who are able to walk unaided, are advised to be active for at least 180 minutes (three hours) per day. Children aged 5 to 18 should be at least moderately active for at least 60 minutes every day. It is also recommended that vigorous intensity activity, including muscle and bone-strengthening activities, should be undertaken at least three days each week.

Among boys, the decrease in the proportion meeting recommendations was particularly pronounced in the 13 to 15 age group, where 28 per cent of boys met current guidelines in 2008, compared with 14 per cent in 2012 and 15 per cent in 2015.

The proportion of girls aged 13 to 15 meeting recommendations also fell over the period, from 14 per cent in 2008 to 8 per cent in 2012 and 9 per cent in 2015.

However, estimates exclude both activities during school hours and active travel to and from school, potentially underestimating the proportion of children meeting recommendations.

Figures relating to physical activity among adults between 2013-15 were not provided in the report. But between 1997 and 2012, the proportion of adults meeting recommendations for levels of physical activity increased. There was a steady rise over the period, from 32 per cent in 1997 to 43 per cent in 2012 for men, and from 21 per cent to 32 per cent for women.

In the UK, inactivity has an estimated direct cost to the NHS of £1.1bn, with indirect costs to society of £8.2bn.

The survey also looked at obesity levels among children and adults.

The prevalence of childhood obesity increased between 1995, when 12 per cent of children aged 2 to 15 were obese, and 2004-05, when 19 per cent of children were obese. Since 2004-05 the rate of childhood obesity has levelled out and in 2015 was at 14 per cent.

The prevalence of childhood obesity in 2015 was higher among boys aged 2 to 15 (15 per cent), than among girls (12 per cent).

Between 1993 and 2015, there was an increase in the proportion of adults who were obese. This increased from 13 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women in 1993, to 27 per cent of both sexes in 2015.

Obesity prevalence rose between 1993 and around 2000, and there was a slower rate of increase after that, with very little change in recent years. Prevalence of obesity has fluctuated between 24 per cent and 27 per cent from 2010 to 2015 for men and women.

In response to the obesity figures in the report, the Obesity Health Alliance said: “Obesity is still an urgent public health epidemic costing our national health service billions of pounds every year. Prevalence hasn’t changed much but the majority of adults remain worryingly obese or overweight. As our waistlines continue to increase, so do the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and other devastating health conditions.”

The NHS survey was based on interviews with 8,034 adults and 5,714 children.