Promoting active lifestyles in Scotland
WE'VE SELECTED EIGHT OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND SCOTLAND TO PROMOTE ACTIVE LIFESTYLES, FOLLOWED BY A SUMMARY OF A FEW EXAMPLES FROM ACROSS THE REST OF THE UK AND AROUND THE WORLD
A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STRATEGY, GLASGOW
Since 1996 the Greater Glasgow NHS Board and Glasgow City Council have been working together as part of the 'Healthy Cities Partnership'. Together they set up a Physical Activity Forum.
The Forum's aim is to engage local councils across the Greater Glasgow area to promote health improvement through political and policy commitments, as well as training and community projects.
What has been delivered? A Physical Activity Strategy for the Glasgow region, featuring the following schemes:
- The 'Live Active' GP exercise referral scheme, which encourages adults with cardiac problems to incorporate gentle exercise into their routine ( e.g. walking to the shops).
- The Glasgow Healthy Walks programme. A member of staff was financed to coordinate leisure walks in parks throughout the city.
- The 'A Little Physical Activity Means a Lot' training resource pack and the 'Walk-in to Work-out' resource pack, both of which are now being used by The Executive as National resources.
- The 'Fit for Life' leaflet to promote information about cycling and walking networks across the city.
Keys TO success…
- Engage senior staff from the start. That way messages filter down to managers, who can then progress projects within their own divisions and teams.
- Employ dedicated staff and keep them involved. The Healthy Walks programme came from an idea from a Parks Development Officer at Glasgow City Council.
- Create the right partnership and ensure that all parties can see how their involvement benefits their organisation.
- Establishing a policy framework or strategy for relevant organisations to sign up to helps promote a project across different sectors.
J Bewley / SUSTRANS, Jonathan Bewley, Picture Library Manager / Photographer Sustrans, National Cycle Network Centre, 2 Cathedral Square, Bristol, BS1 5DD UK. www.sustrans.org.uk
For more information please contact
Kevin Lafferty, Greater Glasgow Health NHS Board.
t 0141 201 4530
e kevin.lafferty@ggbh.scot.nhs.uk
w www.glasgowcitycouncil.co.uk/healthycities/
Physical Activity Strategy Group, Fife
The Fife Physical Activity Strategy Group is a partnership between several departments, including Transport and Community Services at Fife Council, NHS Health Promotion and the Local Education Authority. The Group (formerly the Physical Activity Task Force) was established in 2002 to take forward the objectives of the National Physical Activity Strategy, 'Lets Make Scotland More Active'.
The aim is to put across health messages by promoting active travel behaviour through cycling and walking initiatives.
The Fife Council Travel Plan officer has started a walking scheme for Fife Council staff, which is also open to the wider public. Walks are advertised in local newspapers with some during lunch times and after work in the summer.
For more information please contact
Clare Hamilton-Sturdy, Fife Council
t 01592 413 826
e Clare.HamiltonSturdy@fife.gov.uk
What has been delivered? Lots more people are walking and cycling on local trips in Fife and using walk and cycle links around the area. This has been achieved by:
- Employing a dedicated, proactive Physical Activity Coordinator, jointly funded by Fife Council and NHS Fife Health Promotion.
- Establishing Fife Council's 'Transportation Development Guidelines', which set standards in road design to encourage more walking and cycling.
- The Fife Millennium Travel Plans for cycleways, school and workplace, which promotes sustainable travel behaviour and has resulted in higher cycling usage across the council area.
- Developing a network of walking groups with the 'Bums off Seats' initiative. The project leads 21 walks every week and has over 200 trained volunteer walk leaders.
Keys to success…
- Produce good quality publicity and marketing material.
- Targeted leaflets struck a chord by focusing upon personal benefits such as more time and cost savings, and healthier lifestyles.
- Employ dynamic dedicated individuals willing to forge links across sectors, and take a proactive approach to the development of new projects.
A Lottery-funded project saw the development of over 300 miles of cycleway in Fife. The Council produced an accompanying series of helpful cycle maps for both day-to-day and leisure use. A regular newsletter provides up-to-date information about the improvements or changes to the routes and the various cycling events that are held.
For more information please contact
Fiona Dale, Physical Activity Co-ordinator, NHS
t 01592 712 812
e FionaDale@fife-pct.scot.nhs.uk
Health promotion and School Travel, Highland
Several links have been established across the health and transport sectors in Highland as a result of the partnership between Highland Council, NHS Highland, Partnership for Wellbeing and Paths to Health, with a number of initiatives moving forward.
The aim is the promotion of physical activity, health improvement and sustainable travel to school.
What has been delivered? A series of walking and cycling strategies to promote and encourage active lifestyles, including:
- 'Healthways', the Healthy Living Centre in Ross & Cromarty.
- The Highland Cycling Strategy, produced by the Highland Cycle Forum.
- An active referral programme for frontline healthcare staff to encourage people to introduce everyday walking into their routine.
- Healthy Highland Week. A seven-day programme of information and activities to raise health awareness.
- The Highland School Travel Plan Guide. 'How-to' advice clearly linking the benefits between health and travel.
- 'Step it up'. A series of walking initiatives targeted at building confidence in those not used to physical activity.
Keys to success…
- Appoint enthusiastic individuals with a personal interest in healthy living - you are what you preach!
- Understand the value of higher profile posts based within the Chief Executive's office. Their visibility can be useful when promoting cross-departmental activities.
- Setting up specific forums and groups provides focus for an activity or goal and brings various organisations and sectors together.
- Word of mouth spreads the message about the benefits of healthy travel.
For more information please contact
Cath King, Policy Manager, Health Improvement, Highland Council
t 01463 702 139
e cath.king@highland.gov.uk
w www.healthways-rossandcromarty.co.uk
w www.highland.gov.uk
Promoting Healthy Transport, East Dunbartonshire
In 2000, the East Dunbartonshire Council's Local Transport Strategy identified that it needed to consider access to health services. Since then a Partnership has been established between the Community Engagement Team, Health Promotion, Planning and Transport Sections at East Dunbartonshire Council and the Greater Glasgow NHS Board, SPT, the Community Health Partnership and local communities.
The aim is to incorporate and promote access to health services into healthy transport options.
What has been delivered? A series of health and transport strategies including:
- Establishing a Task Force to drive forward and co-ordinate existing and complementary initiatives, such as an access strategy for health services.
- The development of an Outdoor Access Strategy to coordinate and promote a well-maintained network of routes for everyday use.
- Continued investment in promoting Active School Travel amongst children. 'Design a Poster' competitions in schools helped raise awareness of the benefits of walking and cycling to school.
- The step change initiative aimed to promote travel choice and increase use of alternative means of travel. Households were invited to discuss their travel options with a trained member of the step change team and were given tailor-made advice on health and transport options.
Keys to success…
- Ensure local political support. Both the local MSP and Leader of East Dunbartonshire championed the initiatives. Step change was backed by the previous Transport Minister, Nicol Stephen.
- Establish a strong local dialogue at the outset between transport and health practitioners within and across departments or authorities.
For more information please contact
Crawford McGie, Health Improvement Officer, East Dunbartonshire Council
t 0141 578 8000
e crawford.mcgie@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
w www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk
w www.stepchangescotland.org.uk
w www.greenspace.org.uk
'West Lothian on the Move'
'West Lothian on the Move' or the West Lothian Health Enhancing Physical Activity Project ( HEPA) set up a Steering Group, consisting of West Lothian Council (Recreation, Parks and Open Spaces and Transport), NHS Lothian (Health Promotion, Public Health and Physical Activity sections) and the voluntary sector including Over 50s and Ageing Well.
The aim is to improve individual health through physical activity, especially among children and adults with sedentary lifestyles.
What has been delivered? One of HEPA's first actions was to produce a Physical Education Strategy. Since then, it has:
- Trained healthcare professionals about the benefits of promoting physical activity and healthy travel choices.
- Worked with Schools to make sure the 'Active School Coordinator' role does more than simply encouraging sports.
- Provided route cards for children to plan a safe cycling journey to school.
- Developed the 'Put your West Foot Forward', walk initiative.
- Offered training to nervous would-be cyclists and cheap second-hand bikes through a local charity.
- Distributed a West Lothian Physical Activity Atlas, with routes, ideas and tips on how to become more active.
Keys to success…
- A sound marketing strategy - press, publicity and promotion.
- Establish a brand. A logo and slogan - Choose an Active Way Everyday - ensured people knew and understood the message immediately, even on new projects.
- Positive press can be more effective than advertising - and it's free of charge!
- Invest in good-quality, professional photography.
- Branded T-shirts, water bottles and frisbees are good promotional tools.
- Employ a dedicated, full-time, enthusiastic co-ordinator.
For more information please contact
Stuart Younie at HEPA
t 01506 776 096
e stuart.younie@westlothian.gov.uk
w http://www.wlonline.org/ and http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk
Active Referral in Linlithgow
In 2003 a health promotion exercise was set up at the Linlithgow Group Medical Practice in West Lothian and ran for 18 months. The scheme was part of the European funded travel awareness 'Step by Step' programme, focusing on the links between transport and health.
The aim was to find out whether health-related travel awareness material would be more effective if it was delivered to the public via a 'reliable' third party such as a GP, rather than through the traditional transport sector.
What has been delivered? After receiving training, GPs passed information and advice on healthy transport options on to patients by:
- Exposing patients to messages about healthy travel ( e.g. through leaflets distributed in waiting rooms).
- Offering high-risk patients special appointments with medical staff to help them identify ways to incorporate day-to-day changes into their routine.
- Allowing individuals to recognise any current or potential problems and become managers of their own health.
- Proving that a proactive approach to travel awareness through GP advice and good quality promotional material can start to make incremental changes to an individual's travel habits and, therefore, health.
Keys to success…
- Play to the strengths of those promoting your scheme - GPs became involved in this project because of their personal interest in public health rather than healthy transport specifically.
- Understand that small-scale local projects can develop without high-level policy input or specific funding.
- Get your message across clearly and effectively by writing publicity material in simple, non-patronising language .
For more information please contact
Dr Tom Rye, Napier University
t 0131 455 2210
e t.rye@napier.ac.uk
SMARTways, North Lanarkshire
SMARTways is a good example of joined-up local government. North Lanarkshire Council has been very effective in bringing together different departments within the authority to work together to deliver and promote the concept, including the Planning, Community Services and Education Departments.
The aim is to teach and promote the health benefits of alternative travel, such as cycling, walking, public transport and car sharing, with themes aimed at residents, businesses, schools and colleges across North Lanarkshire.
What has been delivered? A series of high-profile initiatives including:
- Local area walking and cycling route guides featuring information about alternative transport options and venues for leisure activities.
- A website to provide information and advice about transport alternatives and health.
- Leaflets targeted at individuals, organisations and the business community on subjects including, car sharing, walking and cycling, etc.
- Other promotional material, such as stickers, posters and banners, to raise awareness of the campaign.
Keys to Success…
- Make full use of local media, i.e. newspapers and radio, to promote healthy travel behaviour choices.
- Offer free materials such as badges and stickers to help get your message into the community - SMARTways even invested in advertising slogans on the side of refuse vehicles.
- Think outside the box. Develop high-profile campaigns such as the Walk to School Week and consider new funding strategies. SMARTways sells advertising space on local maps, for example.
- Develop good working partnerships.
- Continued training keeps staff up to date with best practice and helps to develop new concepts and skills, from developing new partnerships to fund raising.
For more information please contact
Craig Herriott, North Lanarkshire Council
t 01236 618 121
e smartways@northland.gov.uk
Sally Tait, Health Promotion, NHS Lanarkshire
t 01698 377 651
e email: sally.tait@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
w www.smartways.info
Paths for Health, East Ayrshire Coalfields
East Ayrshire Council, together with Ayrshire and Arran NHS, East Ayrshire Community Health Improvement Partnership, East Ayrshire Disability Forum, the Social Inclusion Partnership and East Ayrshire Education Department created a working partnership with 14 funding partners to take forward and fund the local 'Paths for Health' initiative.
'Paths for Health' is a National initiative. The East Ayrshire programme was supported through training, advice, provision of support materials, and some funding, by the National initiative.
The aim is to encourage regular healthy activity through the creation and promotion of paths for local communities.
What has been delivered? Ten walking groups, with over 300 regular walkers have been established since the start of the initiative. This has been achieved by:
- Developing a series of well planned, coordinated path networks across East Ayrshire.
- Setting up walking groups to suit a variety of different fitness levels. The groups promote the path networks and create a sense of community.
- Producing and distributing booklets to households featuring local area maps suggested walking routes and guidance on the benefits of regular walking, etc.
- Working with health professionals to identify who would most benefit from receiving information and/or joining a walking group, such as those at risk from heart disease.
Keys to Success…
- Understand that even established national schemes benefit from being tailored to meet local needs.
- Be flexible. Develop a scheme that can be used by anyone and everyone, whatever their existing fitness levels.
- Establish links with as many professionals in related areas as possible to increase awareness and broaden your target base.
"I look forward to group walks and feel invigorated afterwards. Thoroughly enjoy the company."
For more information please contact Jennifer Stevenson
t 01563 554752
e jennifer.stevenson@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
w www.east-ayrshire.gov.ukwww.pathsforall.org.uk