Key academic thinkers in the area of physical activity and exercise met with leaders from the leisure industry and public health in London on Wednesday, to discuss solutions to the UK’s inactivity crisis.

The event was hosted by not-for-profit health body ukactive, whose recent report Turning the tide of inactivity highlighted the extent of the crisis and reached an estimated 24 million UK citizens thanks to extensive media coverage.

Speakers including Professor Greg Whyte OBE and Dr Chris Beedie joined ukactive CEO David Stalker in calling for a move 'from knowledge to action' when it came to reversing the growing numbers of physically inactive people in the UK.

The findings and ongoing 'real-world' research carried out by ukactive's Research Institute also gave food for thought for delegates, including an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of varying methods of exercise interventions.

Having raised the profile of physical inactivity as a top-tier public health concern, the ukactive report was revisited as part of the agenda, but it was the drastic need for more data and better use of existing data that was the theme throughout.

"There needs to be more research across all demographics, across all age spans and across all diseases around physical activity and its benefits," said Greg Whyte.

Dr Chris Beedie, a member of ukactive's Scientific Advisory Board, said exercise needs to become the 'medicine of choice' when it comes to altering lifestyles and quality of life outcomes.

The central London event was sponsored by Technogym, whose UK managing director Andrea Bianchi described the ukactive report as vital to “reversing the physical inactivity pandemic”.

We welcome ukactive’s report, which sends a strong signal for public and private sectors alike to join forces for exercise interventions as a top priority,” he said. “We look forward to joining up with like-minded organisations in taking action to alter lifestyles for the better, starting from the ground up.”