More people in Dunbartonshire face “dying early and living their last years in pain”, as a result of Scottish Government cuts.

MSP Jackie Baillie issued the warning after data revealed that the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area tops the table of regions where more people die annually due to lack of exercise.

And the Scottish Government’s sweeping cuts to active health campaigns and sport will contribute to the toll.

Cuts to the Active Healthy Lives programme, which promotes exercise and healthy eating, were only revealed after Jackie questioned the Government.

Data reveals 631 in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, including Dunbartonshire, die every year due to lack of exercise – well above the next closest contender, Lanarkshire, where 423 deaths are attributed to physical inactivity.

A further 228.2 disability-adjusted life years in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde– years spent living with diseases such as cancers, strokes or heart disease – can also be attributed to lack of exercise.

More than 3,000 deaths in Scotland can be attributed to physical inactivity, according to public health statistics published this month, with cancer and cardio-vascular disease accounting for around a third.

But Health Secretary Neil Gray confirmed that the Scottish Government is cutting £1.2m from the Active Healthy Lives programme – which focused on promoting physical activity and diet and healthy weight – in response to questioning by Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie.

Earlier this month, the Government announced a £23.7m cut to active travel funding – a key opportunity for exercise.

And analysis published in June exposed a £400 million cumulative cut to grassroots sports, as a direct result of SNP cuts to Council budgets.

Jackie Baillie said: “The findings of this report are stark – those who do the least physical activity are at most risk of living shorter lives, with their last years often spent in agony.

“Yet this Scottish Government has presided over cuts to grassroots sport and active travel that is creating an ill-health time bomb for the future.

“More Scots will die early and live their last years in pain unless this government acts quickly to ensure these cuts don’t cause permanent harm.

“We need to improve opportunities for exercise so that all Scots have a fair chance of enjoying later life.”