BHFNC Active

Issue 04 ›› 2010/2011

News from BHF National Centre for physical activity+health

BHFNC

inside this issue:

YOUNG PEOPLEMaking physical activity more engaging and enjoyable for all

PRIMARY CARERaising the profile of physical activity for the prevention, treatment and management of long-term conditions

RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONBuilding the evidence base

OLDER ADULTSDon’t stop me now!

INFORMATION SERVICESHere to help!

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

Welcome...to the fourth issue of the BHFNC Newsletter. 2010 has been another busy year within the National Centre and there have also been important developments nationally which have implications for physical activity, in particular the policy and funding changes introduced by the new Coalition Government.

The new government has made a commitment to public health which is positive, however it remains to be seen how the significant structural changes and funding cuts proposed will impact on physical activity promotion.

Whilst there is some uncertainty about the future, it is clear that there is a continuing need for those promoting physical activity to work together to find evidence-based, cost-effective approaches to physical activity promotion across the lifespan. The BHFNC remain committed to continue working with partners on this.

In this newsletter we are pleased to share with you some of our current projects and successes within the Centre:

Young PeopleFlames programme gets national go ahead – Flames: Lighting the way is one of the first Inspire programmes to be granted a national licence in recognition of its ability to support young people to be more active and bring the inspiration of the 2012 games to every part of the UK.For more information on Flames resources and training in your area go to Page 2.

Primary CareBHFNC launch Exercise Referral Toolkit – This series of downloadable resources provides an easy-to-read, practical guide for professionals involved in exercise referral schemes.Find out how it could help you on Page 4.

Research and EvaluationWalking initiatives, what works? – BHFNC is currently evaluating three projects which are being delivered by Living Streets as part of the national Travel Actively portfolio. The aim is to enable currently inactive people to fit walking or cycling into their daily lives. To find out more go to Page 6.

Older AdultsActive Ageing – The BHFNC has been working with the Full of Life programme at the Department of Work and Pensions to produce a series of resources to assist professionals to raise the public profile of Active Ageing by organising local events and activities. For information on resources and how you can get involved see Page 7.

Coming soon...New UK Physical Activity guidelines – Work on the development of new guidelines in the UK initially began in mid 2009. Following an extensive review and consultation process, new physical activity guidelines are due to be launched in March 2011. See Page 8 for more information.

We hope you continue to enjoy learning more about the BHFNC and find the links to our website and other resources useful. If you have any feedback or would like to contact us please email [email protected]

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

YOUNG PEOPLE

Making physical activity more engaging and enjoyable for all p2Active Club Festival Guide Following the recent series of Active Club festivals, this guide has been released to be used alongside the Active Club pack to help out of school clubs and settings plan and deliver their own Active Club Festival – a special event to celebrate children and young people’s participation and achievements in physical activity. It provides an easy to use step-by-step guide with practical tips and templates to help clubs and settings set up and run their own festival based on the Active Club format. Whether it is a first festival or you are a veteran, this guide will help you make the Active Club Festival a day to remember.

This user-friendly guide includes helpful information to support you in organising your event, such as:

Activities and how to score them. •

How to find an appropriate •venue.

How to publicise the event. •

Safety considerations. •

For further information please contact Anna Chalkley at: [email protected] or phone 01509 226423

Active Club Inclusion Guide and TrainingThis new guide and associated training has been produced to provide practitioners and those working with children and young people with practical advice and tips on:

The key principles of inclusion and the inclusion spectrum as a •tool for practice.

Activities linked to the inclusion spectrum.•

Catering for the needs and abilities of all children and young •people.

The practical training offers an introduction and overview of the new guide. It also explores some of the core themes and provides an opportunity to practise some of the delivery techniques, approaches and activity ideas for engaging all children and young people.

For further information please contact Anna Chalkley at: [email protected] or phone 01509 226423

Flames Programme Gets National Go Ahead‘Flames: Lighting the way’, has been given licence from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to be rolled out nationally. Inspired by 2012, Flames aims to educate young people about the history and culture of the Olympic Games, whilst motivating them to be more physically active.

It is one of the first Inspire programmes to be granted the licence in recognition of its ability to support children and young people to be more active and its potential to help bring the inspiration of the 2012 games to every part of the UK.

Following a successful pilot in Loughborough, other local projects are now being invited to join the Flames programme and receive FREE resources and training to help run it in their area. All those who become involved will be eligible to use the much sought after Inspire mark, a highly valued logo which can help reach new audiences and forge new partnerships.

The BHFNC in partnership with Loughborough College will be hosting a series of FREE regional Flames training to explain more about the programme and how it can be delivered.

For more information and to find out when your nearest training is, please contact Anna Chalkley on 01509 226423 or email: [email protected], alternatively visit the website at: www.loughboroughflames.com

Resource News

Project NewsEarly Years Advisory GroupIn the last year the BHFNC has identified early years as a new work stream. Despite there being a wealth of physical activity work already happening in early years, it appears many people are working in isolation and there is currently little national co-ordination and support for early years practitioners over and above the Early Years Foundation Stage. The BHFNC believes that there is a need to capture existing learning and create a collaborative which can be a powerful voice to promote a better understanding of the roles that physical activity can play in the lives of children in the early years.

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

YOUNG PEOPLE

Making physical activity more engaging and enjoyable for all p3

Top Tips - Engaging all children and young people

Talk to children to find out what activities they find fun and want to do, include experiences for children to take on different roles and responsibilities.

Highlight and promote a wide range of activities and emphasise the value of all types of activity.

Set manageable and appropriate tasks to ensure all children can achieve at their own level.

Use promotions, challenges and/or events to stimulate participation.

Use appropriate kit, resources and equipment – consider relaxing your policy to encourage more children to join in.

Adopt appropriate leadership and learning styles focussing on children feeling good, being confident and enjoying what they do.

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TrainingJump Rope for Schools: A CPD workshop for teachers and support staffExperience first-hand how skipping can be used as part of the five hour offer. It is an excellent activity for PE lessons, for the playground and for an after school club.

Workshops for pupils Workshops for pupils delivered during curriculum time are also available. Teachers and support staff will benefit from seeing a workshop delivered by an experienced instructor, who will demonstrate how to involve the whole class in a range of jump rope activities. Single sessions, half day or full day visits available; with the option to have a whole school or year group assembly.

Our workshops are delivered on a not for profit basis and the charges made are to cover costs.

Skipping (jump rope) is a great activity for children. It is a fun and enjoyable way for pupils to work towards their 60 minutes of activity per day.

For more information, or to make a booking please contact Margaret Couldwell on 01509 226418 or email: [email protected] workshops (for teachers and pupils) are also available.

Development of Early Years FrameworksFollowing discussions which have taken place at our Early Years Advisory Group meetings, the BHFNC has decided to convene two working groups to begin consultation with a number of key early years practitioners to work on the development of:

A National Early Years Framework for physical literacy. 1.

A National Healthy Settings Award/Framework. 2.

It is hoped that these national frameworks will assist early years practitioners in developing frameworks within their local areas and enable those with existing frameworks to review their practice.

The BHFNC will also use findings from these working groups together with research evidence and data from our audits to determine whether or not there is a need to develop a resource and/or training for early years practitioners and to identify what these should look like.

National Physical Activity Audits of Early Years SettingsThe BHFNC has recently been involved in carrying out two national audits of physical activity provision for the under 5s in Children’s Centres and in a sample of nurseries across the UK.

These audits aim to:

Identify the national picture •of active play provision within Children’s Centres and nurseries.

Highlight innovation and •good practice.

Identify any gaps in •provision and inform how best the BHFNC can assist and support Children’s Centres and nurseries improve and/or extend their physical activity provision for the under 5s and their families.

The data collected from these audits will be analysed and following this, a report will be available to download from www.bhfactive.org.uk

For further information on BHFNC early years work contact: Angela Newport, Consultant - Young People Tel: 01509 226423 Email: [email protected]

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

PRIMARY CARE

Raising the profile of physical activity for the prevention, treatment and management of long-term conditions

Resource news

p4 Parental Advice Leaflets for Children with Long Term Conditions As part of the distance learning course ‘Physical activity for children and young people with long term medical conditions’, the BHFNC has developed a series of parental advice booklets on physical activity for children with diabetes, asthma, obesity or congenital heart conditions.

The booklets are designed as a supportive tool for professionals such as PE teachers, exercise instructors, early years practitioners, and play/youth workers, to hand out to parents/carers who express concerns about their child engaging in school PE lessons or other physical activity sessions.

Due to the popularity of the booklets they can now be downloaded online at: www.bhfactive.org.uk/primary-care

New versions of the booklets will be available to order and/or download from Spring 2011.

Exercise Referral Toolkit Launched The toolkit aims to provide an easy-to-read, practical guide for professionals involved in the delivery, coordination, commissioning and evaluation of exercise referral schemes. A series of downloadable resources have been developed to assist professionals in the design, implementation and evaluation of exercise referral schemes. These resources include guidance for:

Referring healthcare professionals. •

Exercise professionals working with •referred patients.

Exercise referral scheme coordinators. •

Commissioning exercise referral •schemes.

Evaluating exercise referral schemes. •

As well as:

A qualifications and training guide. •

Sample forms, templates letters, •evaluation tools and questionnaires.

To visit the dedicated exercise referral microsite and download the toolkit, please visit: www.bhfnc-exercisereferral.org.uk

Project newsPromoting physical activity through Exercise Referral schemes: A Quick Reference Guide This quick reference guide aims to provide healthcare professionals with background information on promoting physical activity through exercise referral schemes. The short guide:

Promotes the health benefits of physical activity.•

Outlines the range of options which can be used •by primary care practitioners to promote physical activity.

Distinguishes between the concepts of •recommendation and referral.

Attempts to clarify when a referral to a scheme might •be most appropriate.

Coming soon check www.bhfactive.org.uk regularly for more information.

A simple tool to aid the promotion of physical activity in primary careThe BHFNC and Welsh Assembly Government are working in partnership with the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists (CSEP) to pilot test a new tool in primary care which is based on a series of systematic chronic condition decision trees.

The purpose of this new tool is to enhance the safety of physical activity clearance and improve physical activity pathways for patients with various chronic conditions. The CSEP evidence based decision trees allow for more effective risk stratification for people living with various chronic conditions.

Updates on the status of the project will appear at www.bhfactive.org.uk

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

PRIMARY CARE

Raising the profile of physical activity for the prevention, treatment and management of long-term conditions

Did you know? Over 17.5 million people •in the UK are living with a long-term medical condition:

45% of people now live •with more than one condition.

Depression occurs in 20% •of all people living with a chronic physical health problem.

Habitual physical activity •is associated with a reduced risk for over 25 chronic conditions and premature mortality.

Physical activity can •be used as adjunctive treatment or management strategy for many long-term conditions. For example, physical activity can be used to treat the late and long term effects of cancer, such as depression and cancer-related fatigue. Helping patients who have cancer become more active can help improve their quality of life and can improve overall survival rates for some tumour groups.

Physical activity or •graded exercise therapy is recommended in NICE clinical guidelines for many long term conditions. Such as chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, depression with chronic physical health problems, hypertension, low back pain, myocardial infarction, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

The risks associated with •being physically inactive are markedly higher than the transient risks seen after acute exercise.

p5Project news Training

Brief Interventions Training: Improving Patient InteractionsThis two day introductory course is designed for exercise and/or health professionals who work one-to-one with patients. The goal of the course is to build professionals’ skills to empower patients to take responsibility for their own health and explore innovative ways of helping clients/patients to adopt healthier lifestyles.

BACR Phase IV Exercise Instructor Cardiac Rehabilitation TrainingThe BACR Phase IV Exercise Instructor course was developed in 1998 supported by the British Heart Foundation and is delivered by the BACR, which is an affiliated group of the British Cardiac Society. The aim of the course is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to prescribe and deliver safe and effective exercise for individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD) who have already benefited from a hospital based rehabilitation programme.

For course dates and locations, visit: www.bacrphaseiv.co.uk

Distance Learning Course: Physical Activity for Children and Young People with Long Term ConditionsThe course aims to provide professionals with the knowledge and practical skills to plan and safely adapt physical activity sessions for children and young people with asthma, diabetes, obesity and congenital heart conditions.

The course is suitable for specialist and non-specialist PE teachers, early years/play practitioners, youth workers, teaching assistants, activity club leaders/coaches, and lunchtime supervisors.

To register your interest in any these courses please contact Sarah Wortley on 01509 226419 oremail [email protected] We can also provide bespoke in-house training packages for up to 25 participants, for further information visit: www.bhfactive.org.uk/primary-care

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

Building the evidence basep6BHFNC are currently evaluating three projects which are being delivered by Living Streets as part of the national Travel Actively portfolio www.travelactively.org.uk. The overall aim of the portfolio is to improve people’s health and well-being by working together to enable currently inactive people to incorporate walking and cycling into their everyday lives. The projects commenced in January 2008 and will conclude in December 2011.

The three projects delivered by Living Streets are:

Fitter for Walking• – a community-based project which aims to work with local residents to improve their local environment and promote walking for short journeys. Evaluation activities include route user counts, route user surveys, resident’s surveys, focus groups and stakeholder interviews.

Step Up• – a national campaign to promote walking to school in secondary school students including Free your Feet, a week long walking challenge. Evaluation activities include surveys with pupils, parents, teachers and school travel advisers.

Walking Works• – a national campaign to promote walking for all or part of the journey to work and during the working day. Evaluation activities focus on five workplaces that are part of the Campaign Partner Scheme and include employee surveys, interviews with Walking Champions and focus groups with employees.

The results from the evaluation of these three projects will be available early in 2012.

Information about Living Streets’ projects can be found at: www.livingstreets.org.uk,www.stepup.org.uk, www.walkingworks.org.uk

For more information about the evaluation of Living Streets’ projects contact Emma Adams: [email protected]

Assessing the impact of walking initiatives: What works?

Top tips for Programme Evaluation

Programme evaluation should include outcome, economic and process measures. Process evaluation is used to monitor and document programme implementation and can provide valuable insight into why a programme was or was not successful. Key issues to be addressed in process evaluation include:

Was the programme delivered as it was initially planned; were some components modified or even dropped completely?

How much did participants engage with programme content and how satisfied were they with both content and delivery?

Did the programme reach its intended audience or were some people excluded and unable to access the material?

Were local conditions (context) important in programme success or failure; how can this information inform future development or delivery of the programme?

Dr Andy Atkin joins the Research and Evaluation Team Andy joined the team in August 2010 as a Research Associate in the area of research and evaluation. Prior to joining the Centre, he completed his PhD at Loughborough University, focusing on the physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns of adolescents during the after school period, and studied epidemiology at the University of Cambridge. Andy’s research interests include measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, young people and evidence synthesis and communication.

Andy’s contact details: Tel: 01509 226422Email: [email protected]

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Evaluation of the Ramblers Family Walking ProgrammeThe Furness Families Walk4Life programme was initiated by the Department of Health and was developed by the Ramblers in partnership with Action for Children. The programme was evaluated by researchers from the BHFNC and the British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group (BHF HPRG) based at the University of Oxford.

The Furness Families Walk4Life Programme aimed to get families walking together, engaging parents and carers as well as their children making walking an integral part of family life. The 12 week walking intervention was designed to encourage regular independent walking close to home as part of everyday life - not only health and leisure walks but every day trips to the shops, school or work.

Overall, the project was successful at engaging young families, who reported positive experiences of the programme. The evaluation report highlights 34 implications for future practice.

These implications for practice can be found on page 72 – 76of the evaluation report. To download the report, please visit www.bhfactive.org.uk

5 top tips for promoting physical activity with older people

Define your target audience Be clear about which group(s) of older people you want to reach.

Clarify the promotional message Decide on a tailored message that you want to use and ensure that your aims are achievable, motivational and relevant.

Use the most appropriate communication channels Examine the best ways of reaching your target group(s) and look at partner organisations who will help you reach them.

‘You can do it’ Use messages that recognise the obstacles that older people face and highlight that physical activity will help them take control of their lives.

‘Someone like us’ People identify best with messages when they can identify with the people and activities in the materials.

For more information on promoting physical activity with older people visit the BHFNC Active Ageing Promotion Guide at: www.active-ageing-events.org.uk

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p7OLDER ADULTS

Don’t stop me now!

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

The BHFNC has been working with the Full of Life programme at the Department of Work and Pensions to produce a series of resources to assist professionals to raise the public profile of Active Ageing by organising local Active Ageing events and activities.

Active Ageing events are designed to:

• Provide a national and local profile to celebrate and promote the concept of Active Ageing.

• Provide support for local Active Ageing events and programmes.

• Stimulating debate and policy on active ageing.

• Ensure that older people are included in all celebratory events and festivals designed to leave a health and physical activity legacy.

Active Ageing events are designed to target all older people 65+ but also permit local organisations to adopt different approaches with individuals and groups with different needs and in a variety of settings.

To support organisations who wish to stage their own local events, we have developed a series of resources that provide advice and guidance on planning local Active Ageing events:

• The Active Ageing Coordinator’s Planning Guide provides step by step suggestions on how to promote Active Ageing events, and other activities.

• The Guide to Active Ageing Promotion provides guidance on reaching different groups of older people, how to work with the media to secure coverage of your Active Ageing events.

• Active Ageing Ideas for Action is full of ideas on how to promote Active Ageing events and activities that promote physical activity with older people.

• Active Ageing Community Organisation’s Guide is for local community organisations and groups to organise their own Active Ageing event.

To access these resources, please visit www.active-ageing-events.org.uk

People living with dementiaand physical activityThere are currently over 700,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this figure is projected to double over the next 30 years. There is growing evidence to confirm that physical activity has an important role to play in both the prevention of dementia and the care and wellbeing of people living with dementia.

The BHFNC is working with national partners on a programme of guidance and support for those involved in providing services for people living with dementia. This aims to ensure that physical activity remains an entitlement and an integral part of care and treatment throughout the dementia journey. The programme includes:

Mapping of current practice in dementia care models.•

Awareness raising (e.g. evidence-based fact sheets).•

The development of practice guidelines for commissioners, service •managers and physical activity professionals.

We will be looking to host seminars around physical activityand dementia early in 2011, keep an eye on www.bhfactive.org.uk

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Date for your diary13th – 17th August 2012 The BHFNC in partnership with GlasgowCaledonian University continue to work towardsthe programme for the 2012 World Congress on Active Ageing – to be held on 13th – 17th August 2012 at the Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow.

For further information, visit: www.wcaa2012.com

www.bhfactive.org.uk | tel: 01509 226421

p8 INFORMATION SERVICES

Here to help!

BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and HealthSchool of Sport, Exercise and Health SciencesLoughborough University Leicestershire LE11 3TU

Tel: 01509 226421 Fax: 01509 223972Email: [email protected] www.bhfactive.org.uk

The BHFNC Information Officers keep up-to-date on physical activity related research and practice across the UK and worldwide to ensure that you are kept up-to-date.

News from BHF National Centre for physical activity+health

BHFNC

NEW BHFNC website The BHFNC website has been re-launched! The modern and user-friendly website is easier to navigate and features a wealth of information, publications and resources for each of our key areas. We hope this website will support you in your work. www.bhfactive.org.uk

If you require this newsletter in an

alternative format, please contact us.

Coming soon…

New physical activity guidelinesWork on the development of new physical activity guidelines in the UK started with planning and working groups being formed in Mid 2009. Following this there was a review of the latest scientific evidence on physical activity and health, a two-day scientific meeting in October 2009, a national web consultation phase in December 2010 and the drafting of a technical report. The final Technical Report, completed in May 2010, reports on the review and consultation undertaken on physical activity guidelines and presents the final set of recommendations for consideration by the home country governments for the new UK physical activity guidelines. Additional, complementary work has also been completed to assess the scientific evidence on physical activity in early years, and sedentary behaviours.

In the past month considerable progress has been made and along with the governments’ commitment to completing this work, a Physical Activity Guidelines Editorial Group (PAGEG) has now been established which will develop the final set of guidelines for use across the four home countries. Agreement has been received from the four home country CMO offices for a joint CMO report as the mechanism for their launch.

The plans now stand for a UK-wide CMO report with a tentative launch date of March 2011 or thereabouts. Look out for any developments at: www.bhfactive.org.uk

Keep up-to-date We distribute a bi-monthly update to our database of professionals. This update brings the latest developments in physical activity and health straight to your inbox and features all the latest resources and publications, funding

opportunities, conferences, events

and much more.

Sign-up to our database – It’s FREE!

To receive our monthly physical activity update and other important health and physical activity information via email, subscribe to the free BHFNC database at: www.bhfactive.org.uk/subscribe-to-database

Saving you timeThe Information Officers summarise key documents in the area of physical activity and health – drawing out the key implications for physical activity practitioners. These summaries should save you time and resources and ensure you are kept up-to-date with all the latest developments in the field.

Keep an eye onwww.bhfactive.org.uk orsign-up to our database to ensure that you don’t miss out.

Got a burning question? The BHFNC Helplineaims to answer allyour questions on physical activity and health. Whether you are looking for the latest obesity prevalence statistics or resources to encourage activity in the workplace, our Information Officers will endeavour to point you in the right direction. Please call us on 01509 226421 orsend your question [email protected]

Sharing practice We produce comprehensive ‘Sharing Practice Booklets’, showcasing a range of projects from across the UK. The call for these projects to be submitted to the BHFNC for inclusion in the booklet is typically announced each summer. These booklets aim to:

Encourage sharing of practice •among health and physical activity professionals.

Increase awareness of the •range of interventions taking place across the UK.

Provide tips for physical •activity practitioners embarking on similar projects.

The 2010 booklet focuses on raising the profile of physical activity in primary care andcan be downloaded fromwww.bhfactive.org.uk

The latest physical activity evidence and statistics BHFNC produce a range of contemporary physical activity factsheets on topical issues such as:

Obesity, physical activity and adults.•

Physical activity and health.•

Physical inactivity and economics.•

These fact sheets can be used to make the case for physical activity intervention or for health and physical activity professionals to increase and update their knowledge. Fact sheets can be downloaded from: www.bhfactive.org.uk