Families should get more exercise outside

A third of respondents felt the snow and rain prevented them from exercising as a family and half felt there was not enough time.

Budget was also an issue, with 24% of parents citing money as stopping them from getting out of the house.

These figures do not look promising after the recent Government campaigns to get the nation fit.

Only a fifth of parents said they were concerned about issues such as obesity and diabetes and 72% are falling short of meeting the recommended 30 minutes of activity five times a week. This may be because of children’s leisure time being filled up with TV, video games and computers. Over a third (34%) of parents were worried about these.

The research was conducted by British Gas, who is the principle sponsor of British Swimming. It wants to help the 43% of parents who want to exercise more as a family by launching The British Gas Free Swim. Over a thousand pools are participating in the scheme, which offers a free swim to families.

Nell McAndrew, who is fronting the campaign, said: “As a working mother, it can be a real struggle to balance work and family time. From my experience, it’s a great way to strengthen the bond between parent and child.”