TY - JOUR T1 - Privileging the privileged: the public health focus on leisure time physical activity has contributed to widening socioeconomic inequalities in health JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 525 LP - 526 DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103356 VL - 55 IS - 10 AU - Leon Straker AU - Andreas Holtermann AU - I-Min Lee AU - Allard J van der Beek AU - Emmanuel Stamatakis Y1 - 2021/05/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/10/525.abstract N2 - Leisure-time physical activity focus is a social bias, which widens the socioeconomic gap in healthPhysical activity researchers have a long tradition of concern for socioeconomic inequities in health.1 Non-occupational factors, such as welfare support and access to high-quality healthcare, promote more socioeconomic equality. Physical activity research can also be a major driver. We propose that designing the occupational physical activity of the less privileged to be health enhancing can help to reduce the socioeconomic health gap.Over the last 50 years researchers have built a compelling case that leisure time physical activity is an important pathway to good health. Based on this evidence, public health messaging has focused largely on increasing leisure time physical activity.2 However, this advice has been disproportionately taken up by the privileged higher socioeconomic groups.3 On the other hand, leisure time physical activity is decreasing in the lower socioeconomic groups.4 This phenomenon—limited time spent in leisure time physical activity in … ER -