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Welcome to the January issue of sportEX health - check out the articles coming up along with the interactive extras
Citation preview
JANUARY 2009
Teenage girls have been identified as a group at high risk of dropping out of sport and doing little physical activity. One means of trying to combat this problem has been to encourage girls to get involved in dance. A three-year project, Dance in Schools Initiative (DISI), was launched in schools in Scotland to bring dance to all schoolchildren and its success has led to a further investment by the Scottish government in dance as part of its recently launched obesity strategy aimed at teenage girls. This article looks at DISI and the new initiative, Free to Dance.
onlineonline
Short interview with Author Anna Kenrick on the Free to Dance project.
Preview of the AnyBodyCanDance and 321Go! interactive dance CD-ROMs
children & young people y dance
strictly
active
By anna kenrick
THe DeLiVerer
YDance (Scottish Youth Dance) is
the leading provider of quality dance
education for young people in Scotland.
It has been working through key
partnerships in education, culture,
health and sport to offer children and
young people
the opportunity
to realise their
potential as
individuals through
dance.
After the
success of
the three-year
Dance in Schools Initiative (DISI) the
company has joined forces once again
with the Scottish government’s health
department this time on a new project
to get teenage girls active through
dance – Free To Dance. As part of
the Health Department’s ongoing
commitment to combat obesity in
the young people of Scotland they
are funding this three-year initiative to
encourage girls aged between 14 and
18 to explore dance as an alternative
to PE and other sports activities.
Dance in ScHOOLS
iniTiaTiVe (DiSi)
DISI was funded by the Scottish
Executive Health Department and
aimed to get young people active,
promote a sense of well being and
a respect for healthy living through
a programme of in-school dance
workshops. The initiative also worked
to ensure that teachers had the
necessary skills, experience and
resources to ensure sustainability of
dance in schools at the end of the
project through an in-service training
programme and the provision of
interactive dance CD-ROMs:
n AnyBodyCanDance (for ages 8-14)
n the BAFTA-nominated 321Go! (for
ages 4-7).
DiSi - facts and figures
n DISI ran from April 2005 to March
2008
n DISI recruited 12 full time dance
tutors for a three year period
n DISI was rolled out in 732 schools
in 31 of the 32 local authorities in
Scotland from the Borders to the
Shetland Isles
n DISI got 234,817 young people
aged between 5 and 14 active through
dance.
The evaluation
CAHRU (Child and Adolescent Health
Research Unit) carried out an evaluation
on the project (1) and it commented:
‘The DISI clearly generated a great
deal of excitement in schools when the
workshops were underway. Teachers
felt it promoted a sense of freedom
and enhanced the confidence of pupils;
www.sportEX.net
7
potentially important determinants of
longer-term participation’. The report
showed that the scheme had been
successful among primary schoolgirls
citing immediate positive effects:
n Enjoyment was greater than
anticipated
n Felt happier and more confident
participating they had imagined
n Attitudes towards dance were more
positive
n Frequency of informal participation in
dance increased
n They were more likely to cite
dance as a favourite physical activity
afterwards
n Wanted dance lessons in school
n Increased feeling of competence in
physical activity
n Increases in moderate physical
activity in school were also found.
Secondary schoolgirls
DISI was found to be less successful
in reaching secondary schoolgirls.
However, the authors warned that
findings should be interpreted with
caution as they mostly represent girls
from one secondary school (survey of
pupils before and after programme) and
pointed out that a number of atypical
issues arose at the implementation
stage (class sizes, disruption as
a result of staff illness and lack of
continuity).
Secondary girls in this school:
n Did not enjoy the DISI workshops as
much as they had expected
Teenage girls have been identified as a group at high risk of
dropping out of sport and doing little physical activity. One
means of trying to combat this problem has been to
encourage girls to get involved in dance. A three-year
project, Dance in Schools Initiative (DISI), was launched in
schools in Scotland to bring dance to all schoolchildren
and its success has led to a further investment by the
Scottish government in dance as part of its recently
launched obesity strategy aimed at teenage girls. This
article looks at DISI and the new initiative, Free to Dance.
PHOTO
GRA
PH C
OURT
ESY O
F: T
IlO S
TEnGEl
More than half of the car journeys in London are less than two kilometres in length, so walking or cycling these journeys can be a great way to incorporate exercise into the daily routine while also reducing car use. This article looks at plans to get the people of Sutton to be more active when making transport choices.
In January 2006, Everyday Swim was launched with an investment of £4m over three years to encourage people to swim for leisure, fitness and fun. As the funding for the initial wave comes to an end this article looks at the projects, the lessons learned and the next steps.
Video of Duncan Goodhew promoting the EverydaySwim Initiative
onlineonline
Powerpoint presentation≠– What is Everyday Swim?
How to... encourage swimming
In January 2006, Everyday Swim was launched with an investment of
£4m over three years to encourage people to swim for leisure, fitness
and fun. As the funding for the initial wave comes to an end this article
looks at the projects, the lessons learned and the next steps.
By Kate Sargent
everyday Swim is a national project
funded with £3m from Sport
England and over £1m from local
partners, led by the ASA (Amateur
Swimming Association, the national
governing body concerned with every
element of swimming). The project
was launched because the number of
people swimming in the UK has been
static for 20 years. Everyday Swim has
pioneered new ways of making all pool
activity more accessible and popular,
with the aim of getting more people
swimming and finding out ‘what works’
in getting more people into our pools.
The project needed a champion
and Olympic Gold medallist, Duncan
Goodhew, took on the role of the
Everyday Swim ambassador. He said:
“I wanted to support Everyday Swim
because everyone should have the
opportunity to swim. The feeling of the
water on your skin, the sounds, the
smells, it leaves you feeling so good
and it’s a great motivator.”
tHe PrOJeCtS
In the first three years of Everyday
Swim, eight pilot projects (see box) have
taken place across the country, with
each project having a different focus.
telford and Wrekin
In Telford and Wrekin, the focus has
been on disabled people and children
from disadvantaged communities and
their families. “It has made a huge,
huge difference to us. It has given us
confidence in the water and in life.
We are not different in the water.”
These are the words of Marion
Sheppard, a visually impaired woman
from Telford who has rediscovered
a passion not only for swimming but
also for physical activity generally.
Marion was persuaded into going
to one of the lessons by her friend,
Yvonne Richardson, who had not been
swimming for years but wanted to
be able to. Everyday Swim provided a
swimming instructor to help improve
their technique and act as a guide in
the water because both are visually
impaired. As a result both were able to
gain the confidence and ability to swim
– and have since gone onto other
physical activities. The project even
thought about their guide dogs, Bart
and Lucas who can be left securely
thanks to loops installed at Wellington
Civic and Leisure Centre.
Swimgospel in Lewisham
One of the noisiest projects has
been in Lewisham, where the London
Community Gospel Choir flooded the
pool with music to launch ‘SwimGospel’.
The scheme was the brainchild of
Andrea Enchinas of British Gospel
Arts and with the ASA she turned the
idea of combining her two favourite
pastimes – swimming and singing -
into a nine-week programme. It was
particularly fitting for Lewisham, where
the target is to break down the barriers
to participation that prevent particular
InCREASInG pARTICIpATIOn ISn’T JUST ABOUT
UppInG THE nUMBER Of SWIMS, BUT
ALSO THE nUMBERS Of SWIMMERS
www.sportEX.net
15
tHe everyday
swim project
social and minority ethnic groups
from getting involved in swimming
and other aquatic activities. people
were given the chance to access a
45-minute singing lesson, followed by
a 30-minute instructor-led swimming
lesson and under 19s were especially
encouraged to bring their parents,
carers and grandparents with them for
the experience.
Maths and science in easington
In Easington, one project saw maths
and science incorporated into fun pool
sessions. Children were encouraged to
count their breaths and the amount of
strokes per length. The idea was to get
them doing simple maths calculations
to improve their education along with
their health.
Fun for all - Kirklees
In Kirklees, the aim was making
swimming ‘fun for all’, children were
also treated to more unusual activities
such as Aqua Camp (pool based
games), Caribbean pirates, flip n fun
(introduction to diving) and Grab n
Splash (grab the toys).
getting older people in the pool -
Wirral and Suffolk
On the Wirral and in Suffolk the
projects have looked at getting older
people back into the pool (those over
HEALTH PROMOTION ACTIVE TRAVEL
A SMARTER WAY TO TRAVEL More than half of the car journeys in London are less than two
kilometres in length, so walking or cycling these journeys can be a
great way to incorporate exercise into the daily routine while also
reducing car use. This article looks at plans to get the people of
Sutton to be more active when making transport choices.
By Barry Causer
T he Active Steps Programme has
been established in order to
contribute to a number of social issues:
n The inactivity of adultsn High levels of car usen High petrol pricesn The pressures to reduce our carbon
footprint. There are many well-known
health risks that are linked to physical
inactivity, including coronary heart
disease, obesity, diabetes and certain
cancers. Despite this, only 10.7% of
Sutton residents currently achieve the
Department of Health’s recommended
30 minutes of moderate physical
activity on five days per week. Active
Steps complements other initiatives
on offer in Sutton to provide a way to
incorporate physical activity as part of
everyday life.WHaT Is THe PrOJeCT?
Delivered by Sutton and Merton
NHS Primary Care Trust, the 12
month initiative has been created in
partnership with Smarter Travel Sutton,
a three year, £5 million partnership
between Sutton Council and Transport
for London. Smarter Travel Sutton
aims to reduce car trips in Sutton and
increase the number of people using
public transport, walking and cycling
in the borough through promoting
sustainable transport methods.
People who could gain benefits
from increasing their activity levels will
be signposted to the scheme by health
practitioners such as diabetic retinal
screeners, smoking cessation advisors,
GPs and practice nurses. During
the 12 week programme those who
have expressed an interest will meet
with a specially trained Active Steps
advisor who will conduct a motivational
interview and help them to:
n Overcome barriers to walking or
cyclingn Create personal goals n Provide them with information such
as cycle and walking maps and/or
access to free cycle training. They will also be: n Sent weekly messages of support
by text or mailn Provided with a pedometer to count
their steps each day n Given a fridge magnet with a blank
section that can be used to plan goals
and note achievements. After 12 weeks they will see their
Active Steps advisor again to explore
how they have got on, explore what
was easy, what was difficult, and if
needed, re-evaluate their goals. MOTIVaTIONaL INTerVIeWINGThe behavioural change interview
is based upon the principles of
motivational interviewing (MI) (see
article on page 10). MI follows a client
centred and semi-directive approach of
exploring ambivalence and increasing
intrinsic motivation within the individual.
This method allows for the identification
of possible barriers to change and
ways in which to overcome them,
and the setting of realistic and
achievable goals. The four basic principles
of motivational interviewing
which are being using during
the Active Steps interventions
are:
1. express empathy - expressing
empathy towards a service user shows
acceptance and increases the chances
of developing a rapport. 2. Develop discrepancy – developing
discrepancy enables the client to see
that their present situation does not
necessarily fit into the values they
would like in the future. The service
user should present the argument for
change, not the Active Steps advisor.
3. roll with resistance – rolling with
resistance prevents a breakdown in
communication between the Active
Steps advisor and the service user and
allows the individual to explore their
views.4. support self-efficacy – self-
efficacy is a crucial component to
facilitating change. If the individual
believes they have the ability to change
the likelihood of change occurring is
greatly increased.aIMs
The wider Smarter Travel
Sutton programme has the clear
aim of reducing residents car trips in Sutton by at least 5% by promoting a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport,
consequently improving individuals’ health. Smarter Travel
ACTIve STePS AIMS TO CONTrIbuTe TO
SMArTer TrAveL SuTTON by PrOMOTING
THe HeALTH beNefITS Of ACTIve TrANSPOrT AND
POTeNTIALLy CAPITALISING ON THe wHITe
COAT effeCT
www.sportEX.net
13
health
activityfor
promoting
highlightsn CAN YDANCE tEMPt
tEEENAgERs?n �MotivAtioNAl iNtERviEwiNg
AND PhYsiCAl ACtivitY
n �how to gEt PRoPlE
swiMMiNgn �thE Kiwi EXERCisE
PRogRAMME FoR olDER
PEoPlE
FoRMERlY hEAlthEX sPECiAlist
ISSUE 19 Jan 2009
Technology is one avenue to tackle an increasing unhealthy population including looking for innovative and new ways to provide incentives and excite individuals to lead a healthier life. CredX is a new system that combines technology advancements with the popularity of loyalty schemes such as Air Miles and Nectar points. This combination aims to encourage individuals to take more exercise. This article looks at CredX and how it works.
technology the credx scheme
By Dr William BirDThe origins of CreDXCredX was the brainchild of Dr William Bird working together
with Mobile Radicals, a group of mobile phone researchers
based principally within the Informatics Group from the
department of Communication Systems at Lancaster
University. www.mobileradicals.com The aimThe aim of CredX is simple - to encourage people to
exercise and motivate them to keep exercising by linking
it to some sort of reward scheme. The name CredX is not
only a shortened name of Credit Exercise but also credex
that is latin for ‘believe, trust and commit’ – three values that
underpin CredX.WhaT is iT? CredX is an incentive scheme for exercise. It provides
a means of measuring how much exercise an individual
does through mobile phone technology. Individuals can see
how much exercise they are doing and collects points or
discounts as a reward for their efforts.hoW Does iT WorK?
The individuals who want to be part of the scheme have
a card or wristband – this is swiped using Nokia 6131NFC
mobile phone. This can be fixed in place using specially
designed acrylic holders, such as tennis court or in parks,
so that journeys can be monitored. This records how
much exercise they are doing and links in to the relevant
discount rewards scheme.esssential componentsn Tags - these can take the form or a card or a
key fob they can be swiped – these can cost 50p.
A wristband can also be used these cost around 90p
eachn mobile phone - the Nokia 6131NFC. This can be held
by the leader of an organised exercise session or it can
be placed in a specially designed acrylic holder outside. How
it is used depends on the scheme and how it is organised.
The phone costs around £140
n Website - All points, steps speeds and rewards are
recorded on a website where participants can find out how
their own personal records – what points they
have got etc. The website can used to link
participants to all local exercise opportunities.
sPonsors CreaTe reWarDs
There are three current methods of reward but CredX FoR oRGANISERS oF SpoRT
CLUBS, pARkS AND ACTIvITIES
SUCH AS HEALTH WALkS, CREDX CAN
HELp To MoNIToR WHo HAS TURNED
Up, THEIR AGE, WHERE THEy LIvE
AND WHEN THEy ATTENDEDwww.sportEX.net
23
Points means Prizes
is a foundation on which any charity, community or
workplace can raise money and get rewards.
1. sponsorship by place A company can sponsor a phone receiver so that every
time it is swiped a small amount of
money is donated to a good cause.
For example a phone receiver in a
park will generate a small amount of
money, donated by a local company,
every time someone swipes it with a CredX
card. This could be donated, for example, to upgrade the
children’s playground.2. sponsorship by person
As soon as someone completes 150 minutes of exercise in
a week using CredX they will receive a text with a Bar code
on their ordinary mobile phone. This can be used to redeem
discounts and special offers at 60,000 small shops through
Shop Scan Save®.3. sponsoring others CredX can be used to set challenges to raise money. people
could sponsor you to climb the equivalent of Everest by using
Technology is one avenue to tackle an increasing
unhealthy population including looking for innovative and
new ways to provide incentives and excite individuals
to lead a healthier life. CredX is a new system that
combines technology advancements with the popularity
of loyalty schemes such as Air Miles and Nectar points.
This combination aims to encourage individuals to take
more exercise. This article looks at CredX and how it
works.
WHAT: Workplace health promotion: how to encourage employees to be physically activeWHY: The Department of Health asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce public health guidance on how to encourage employees to be physically active WHEN: The guidance was published May 2008WHO IS IT FOR: Employers and professionals in all sizes of businesses who have a responsibility for, and a direct or indirect role in, improving health in the workplace. It will also be of interest to employees, trade union representatives and members of the public.
workplace health nice guidance
By Jackie cresswell
BackGrOUNDPhysical inactivity in England costs an estimated £8.2 billion each year – this includes the direct costs of treating diseases linked to lack of activity and the indirect costs caused through sickness absence (1). Against these figures it is clear that a physically active workforce can lead to financial benefits for employers (as well as benefiting staff). These include increased productivity and less sickness absence as well as greater staff retention.
The physical activity recommendations can be used to help improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of staff. According to NICE, physical activity contributes to both, but currently 65% of men and 76% of women in England are not active enough to benefit (2). The recommendations could also be used to help reduce the number of working days lost to work-related illnesses each year. Some musculoskeletal disorders in particular, can be alleviated by physical activity. During 2005–2006, musculoskeletal disorders alone resulted in 9.5 million days off work (3).
THe recOMMeNDaTiONsThe document makes a series of recommendations to help boost physical activity within the workplace. These include:
1. Policy and planning Develop an organisation-wide plan or policy to encourage and support employees to be more physically active. These should: n Include measures to maximise the opportunity for all employees to participate in physical activityn Be based on consultation with staff and should ensure that staff are involved in the planning, design, as well as monitoring activities, on an ongoing basisn Any plan should be supported by management and have dedicated resourcesn Organisational goals need to set and be linked to
www.sportEX.net 25
NIce work: IF YoU caN IMpleMeNt It wHaT: Workplace health promotion: how to encourage employees to be physically activewHy: The Department of Health asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce public health guidance on how to encourage employees to be physically active wHeN: The guidance was published May 2008wHO is iT FOr: Employers and professionals in all sizes of businesses who have a responsibility for, and a direct or indirect role in, improving health in the workplace. It will also be of interest to employees, trade union representatives and members of the public.
onlineonlinen Website – Later Life Training - Otago Exercise Programme http://www.laterlifetraining.co.uk/ Otago.htmln Presentation – on the Otago Exercise Programme http://tinyurl.com/5d93xyn Booklet – Otago Exercise Programme (PDF) http://tinyurl.com/5lrotl
The Otago exercise programme (OEP) is a supported home exercise programme designed to help increase the strength and balance of older people in order to prevent falls. This article describes a highly successful collaborative project between the authors of the New Zealand based OEP and Later Life training to implement the programme in areas of the UK.
sportEX health 2009;19(Jan):18-20
The Otago exercise programme (OEP) is a supported home exercise
programme designed to help increase the strength and balance of older
people in order to prevent falls. This article describes a highly successful
collaborative project between the authors of the New Zealand based OEP and Later Life training to implement the
programme in areas of the UK.
18
OvEr a Third Of OvEr 65 yEar OLds aNd a
sTaggEriNg haLf Of aLL OvEr 85 yEar OLds faLL EvEry yEar
BY Sheena Gawler and dawn Skelton
the orIGInSProf John Campbell and dr Clare robertson, based in New Zealand at the University of Otago, are the authors of the OEP. They devised a programme of strength and balance exercises to help prevent falls among older people. The efficacy of the programme was tested in a series of four randomised controlled trials from 1997 to 2005 (1-4) and a recent trial involved a group exercise programme by the University of sydney (5).
StronG eVIdenCe BaSeThese trials involved over 1,000 older participants who performed the strength and balance exercises three times a week for a year in their own homes (or 6 months in a group) with guidance on exercise technique from a trained professional (physiotherapist; nurse trained by a physiotherapist; exercise instructor). The studies showed an overall decrease in falls by about 35%. although a limited number of other research studies have shown a higher percentage decrease in falls following strength and balance exercise, these have not involved such high numbers of participants nor have the exercises been “put to the test” in such a high number of trials, therefore the OEP is considered to be the jewel in the crown of falls exercise research.
it was this that led Later Life Training to contact the authors and collaborate with them to provide training courses for health and exercise
professionals resulting in The Otago Exercise Programme Leader’s Course.
FallS and FraIltYfalls and consequent injuries are a huge problem in the older UK population (6). There are currently over 11 million people aged 65 and over and nearly 30,000 aged over 90 years. Over a third of over 65 year olds fall every year and a staggering half of all over 85 year olds (7). Three quarters of people living in residential care fall repeatedly every year (8). There are huge associated costs to both the individual and the health service. for example, 10% of all ambulance service call outs are for people aged 65 and over who have fallen but nearly half of these are not taken to hospital. These older people are not injured but simply lack the ability to get themselves up from the floor (7). Commonly this is due to poor strength and flexibility, particularly in their legs. These components of fitness, along with balance, are targeted in the OEP. The OEP can potentially reduce the number of ambulance call outs and the associated financial cost but also improve the quality of the older person’s life by the reducing fear of falling and improving their confidence
and ability to perform daily tasks. This may, in turn, broaden their social activities and reduce isolation and loneliness. recent work suggests group OEP exercise also improved cognitive function and quality of life among older participants (5).
StandardISed delIVerYalthough the OEP is available to download from the internet, LLT wanted to achieve higher standards of delivery of these exercises in terms of exercise technique, and therefore safety and effectiveness of the programme across national falls and exercise services via effective training of health and exercise professionals. The partnership between LLT and the OEP authors was therefore developed, with LLT designing the training package and writing and producing the training course materials. Much expertise was gleaned from the OEP authors not only with regard to the implementation of the intervention itself but more pertinently in terms of training OEP leaders, as they had originally
a question of balance
CONTACT +44 (0)845 652 1906 www.sportex.net
Motivational interviewing (MI) was initially developed as a useful method to help individuals change problem drinking behaviour. Historically, MI has an impressive history in helping individuals to change various addictive behaviours. However, since the 1990s, MI has developed an
increasingly diverse profile with positive trials of MI being documented in the management of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension. This article looks at what MI is and how it can be used to help people become more physically active.
onlineonline
n Website – Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers – www.motivationalinterview.orgn Videos - Check out Tor’s YouTube playlist of motivational interviewing clips at http://tinyurl.com/5zaot9 – if you have others share them with Tor on YouTuben Presentations - a couple of presentation resources on SlideShare http://www.slideshare.net/group/sportex-health – background on MI and an idea for creating a motivational interviewing inspired booklet.
sportEX health 2009;19(Oct):10-12
MI and
physIcal
actIvIty
Motivational interviewing (MI) was initially developed as
a useful method to help individuals change problem
drinking behaviour. Historically, MI has an impressive
history in helping individuals to change various
addictive behaviours. However, since the 1990s, MI has
developed an increasingly diverse profile with positive
trials of MI being documented in the management
of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular
disease and hypertension. This article looks at what
MI is and how it can be used to help people become
more physically active.
10
By Charlotte hilton and edward Poulter
what iS MotiVational interViewinG?
The method of MI is often confused with the stages of
change component of the transtheoretical (TTM) theory of
behaviour change (1). However, it is important to note that,
although the TTM theory and MI method have developed at
roughly the same time, the two are completely independent
of one another. The TTM may help us to understand
the processes of behaviour change, while MI should be
considered as contributing to our understanding of how we
go about facilitating behaviour change in practice.
the spirit of Mi
MI is not a technique that is used on someone or applied
as a method of persuasion to those that are particularly
resistant or considered completely unmotivated. Indeed, as
individuals involved in the role of helping people, perhaps it is
far more productive to consider that everyone has motivation
for change. The role of a skilful practitioner is to elicit these
motivations in a manner that is collaborative, evo
cative and
honours patient autonomy (2). This is referred to as the spirit
of MI and is considered fundamental to the integration of MI
into everyday practice. Attempting to integrate MI using the
guiding principles and methods of MI without the spirit are
often referred to as being like ‘dancing without music.’
the GuidinG PrinCiPleS and MethodS
oF MiUnderpinning MI as a method are four guiding principles,
namely:
1) To resist the righting reflex
2) To understand and explore a person’s own motivations
3) To listen with empathy
4) To empower the client, encouraging hope and optimism.
1. the righting reflex. The righting reflex refers to our innate
desire to direct someone away from harm. In the helping
professions, it is particularly easy to fall into the trap of
identifying those factors that indicate an unhealthy lifestyle
and proceed to explain how an alternative behaviour could
contribute to improvements in health. The intention is to help
clients understand how they may choose alternative health
behaviours and to offer them advice and knowledge in the
hope that they may understand things differently. However,
the difficulty with this response is that it tends to increase
the likelihood of resistance to change.
2. understanding an individual’s own motivation. Identifying
individual reasons for behaviour change allows a practitioner
to understand a person’s own motivations and strengthen
statements that suggest an individual is ready, willing and
able to undertake behaviour change. MI refers to these
statements as ‘change talk’.
3. listen with empathy. Collaborative, empathic discussions
strengthen a person’s perception of their ability to change
behaviour.
4. empowering the client. A skilful practitioner should
empower the client to make changes.
o.a.r.SFour methods form the typical style of an MI consistent
conversation, namely:
The workplace offers significant potential to promote healthy lifestyles to the adult working population. In 2004, a £1.6 million British Heart Foundation led pilot programme, Well@Work, was announced to test out what impact workplace health programmes could have. This article highlights some of the findings from the final evaluation report Well@Work: Promoting active and healthy workplaces.
onlineonlinen Report - a copy of the final evaluation report http://tinyurl.com/6nt8r2n Website - Well@Work - http://tinyurl.com/58nvvtn Game - the BHF have produced a fun OfficeOlympics game if you want some work-relevant fun for a few minutes! http://www.bhf.org.uk/thinkfit/officeolympics/
workplace health well@work
The workplace offers significant potential to promote healthy lifestyles to the adult working population. In 2004, a £1.6 million British Heart Foundation led pilot programme, Well@Work, was announced to test out what impact workplace health programmes could have. This article highlights some of the findings from the final evaluation report Well@Work: Promoting active and healthy workplaces.
by Jackie cresswell
wHaT was iTWell@Work was a two year national workplace health initiative comprising nine regional projects encompassing 32 workplaces of different sizes and sectors.
aiMs aND ObJecTiVesThe aims were:n To assess the effectiveness of workplace health programmes in promoting the health and well being of employees in a diverse set of workplace environments n Develop an evidence base on what works in health promotion in the workplace in England.The objectives were to:n Conduct nine regional projects each implementing a healthy lifestyle programme with a core focus on physical activity, nutrition and smokingn Undertake a national evaluation n Identify factors and barriers associated with implementation, success and sustainability of workplace health programmes.
wHaT HaPPeNeDGenerally the workplace health programmes did have an impact on physical activity levels and participants upped their intake of fruit and vegetables. Physical activity and nutrition were the dominant project initiatives, physical activity accounted for 49% and nutrition for 19%.
cONclUsiONsThe evaluation team developed a set of conclusions based on their findings.
sTarTiNG OUTRealistic timescales are needed. At least 12 months is necessary as an initial start up phase for a workplace health programme. Expectations need to be realistic and acknowledge that planning, establishing employee engagement and developing management support (at all levels) can take longer than anticipated. The following will determine both the type of benefits and timescale required: n The scale of investmentn Type of programme and co-ordinationn Level of management supportn Employee engagement
An evaluation should be undertaken to assess the impact of the programme and demonstrate effectiveness.
esseNTial eleMeNTsProject co-ordinatorThe role of project co-ordinator was significant to the delivery and success of projects in the Well@Work
SETTInG UP AnD mAInTAInInG GooD CommUnICATIon THRoUGH
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a working solution
programme. The evaluation suggests the skill set required for a successful workplace health programme co-ordinator should not be limited to health knowledge or an ability to deliver project initiatives but should include management, planning, co-ordination and communication. Project success and sustainability was found to be less likely if co-ordination was left to employee volunteers to run and/or not provided with sufficient allocation of time and at least some resources.
workplace championsThe development of workplace champions is recommended to: n Help, plan and implement a workplace health programme n Encourage employee engagementn Deliver employee ownership.
Management supportmanagement support for both the programme itself and those involved in implementation (workplace champions, project co-ordinators) is essential. This support needs to be visible to employees and an advocate or sponsor within the organisation can be of great benefit.
eleMeNTs TO cONsiDerPhysical environmentA comprehensive workplace health programme needs to examine how it can change the physical environment at a workplace (eg. design, facilities, amenities) to support employees in making healthy lifestyle choices. Doing so demonstrates the commitment of an organisation to support employee health. It is a mid to long-term objective and requires significant management support.
Organisational policyAn organisational policy on supporting healthy lifestyles