Walking is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help tackle falling physical activity levels among teenage girls

Researchers have found that most teenage girls are not getting enough exercise.

Recent figures show that only 13% of UK teenage girls are active every day, compared with 21% of boys.¹ Figures in Scotland show that girls aged 13 to 15 are significantly less likely than boys to meet recommended physical activity levels.² 

Walking is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help tackle falling physical activity levels. 

Unlike organised sport, walking is free and flexible. It doesn’t require specialist equipment or facilities, and it can be built into everyday journeys to school, shops and time spent with friends. 

Creating the right opportunities for young people to walk is key to encouraging greater physical activity among teenage girls. By creating safe routes, attractive local environments and communities where girls feel confident walking independently, we can make walking an accessible and appealing choice for being active every day.  

Through our Walking Schools programme, we are working with secondary schools to help more young people build walking and wheeling into their everyday lives.  

By delivering curriculum-based activities, promoting the benefits of active travel and creating leadership opportunities for pupils, the programme is embedding walking and wheeling throughout the school day. We have found that having walking as part of Core PE has proved particularly popular with girls. Walking is a non-competitive alternative to traditional PE that requires no specialist equipment or changing facilities and the social aspect of walking is an added benefit.  

Jen Curran, our Director of Programmes and Operations, said: “We know that being active helps us stay physically, mentally and socially healthy. Walking and wheeling are a great way for young people to build more movement into their day. Walking and wheeling are free and accessible and can help young people, especially girls, build their confidence and stay active. It could be walking or wheeling to school with friends, taking the dog out with family in the evening, or walking to the park at the weekend.  

We want to empower everyone to feel confident to walk and wheel everyday. By working in partnership with schools and young people, Walking Scotland is helping to build healthy habits for life. We all deserve to enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits that staying active bring.” 

1. National, regional, and global trends in adolescent physical activity from 2010 to 2025: a pooled analysis of 389 surveys with 3·2 million participants from 140 countries – The Lancet Global Health ↩︎
2. The Scottish Health Survey 2023 – volume 1: main report – gov.scot ↩︎

Published: 6 November 2026