Half of all county adults are at risk of obesity unless they start exercising.

Research by the University of Gloucestershire shows half of the adult population do no sport or exercise.

This puts them at risk of developing obesity and other related health conditions.

The figures come in a report from the university’s faculty of sport, health and social care, which focused on the levels of activity in Gloucestershire.

They used data from the first Active People Survey conducted by Sport England between 2005 and 2006, looking at six key measurements – participation, volunteering, club membership, coaching, competitive sport and satisfaction of sport provision.

Although county residents scored at least average or above in comparison to other counties in the South West region, the report highlighted that half of Gloucestershire’s adults did no non-essential physical activity.

Gloucester fared worst, with only 18.9 per cent doing at least three days’ moderate activity for a 30 minute period every week.

Cotswold was the highest with 24.5 per cent, followed by Stroud at 23.9 per cent. Cheltenham and Tewkesbury tied at 22.5 per cent and the Forest of Dean scored 22.1 per cent.

PhD students Colin Baker and Chris Owens from the university undertook the report in collaboration with Active Gloucestershire.

Colin said: “We hope this has provided an overview of sports participation in the county that will provide a useful reference guide for organisations and individuals planning sports activities.”

Cheltenham GP Dr Phil Fielding said the strain of tackling obesity in the NHS could reach epic proportions unless more is done to tackle the issue in the young.

“Eighty per cent of what we see is lifestyle-induced illnesses which have major complications including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. We now know that at the age of five the body is set to the size it’s going to be, so educating parents and youngsters about doing exercise and eating well needs to be done as early as possible.

“A key element to that is providing good sports services that are affordable and fun. There’s a lot of pressure on children to do well in their education and often we forget the physical side of things, which is just as important.

“The NHS is racking up a bigger bill each year and it can’t afford to provide services for a population increasing in size, so something has to be done.”

Anthony Dallimore, spokesman for Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, said: “The PCT, along with partner organisations in Gloucestershire, has agreed a strategy to address obesity in the county as a high priority.

“The Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Strategy highlights reducing obesity in adults and children as a major challenge for all agencies to tackle and targets have been agreed as part of the Local Area Agreement. These reflect important ambitions such as increasing participation in sport by adults and children, increasing the percentage of schools that achieve Healthy Schools status and working in partnership with health and leisure services to introduce exercise referral schemes.

“Increasingly the NHS is doing more to focus on prevention and help families understand the harm that bad diet and inactive lifestyles can cause. We know it can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes and local and national campaigns aim to provide greater information and support.”

Jan Edwards, 48, from Bishop’s Cleeve, has been a member of Fitness First for two years and is keen on keeping fit and active.

“I had a bad back so that’s why I joined. I feel so much better and stronger now than when I started and now I come here three times a week doing cardio.”

Fitness First health manager Dan Fivey had some top tips for getting fit this New Year without breaking the bank: