UKACTIVE UPDATE Activity advice
NICE guidelines and the ukactive Research Institute point towards new opportunities for the sector. David Stalker, CEO of ukactive, reports
What are the new guidelines? On 29 May, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published updated guidance for GPs, health visitors, midwives, pharmacists and practice nurses to do more to identify adults in their care who are not active enough, and to encourage them to do more physical activity. The term ‘brief advice’ is used in
this guidance to mean verbal advice, discussion, negotiation or encouragement, with or without written or other support or follow-up. As brief advice is not mandatory, and by its nature a little more informal, it usually has a modest but consistent effect on physical activity levels.
What is the purpose of the ukactive Research Institute? The ukactive Research Institute was set up to develop an evidence base for exercise. It aims to bridge a research gap between clinical trials and community settings like leisure centres. In 2012, the Research Institute held a
pilot study with Impulse Leisure in Thurrock, Essex, with the aim of measuring the effectiveness of three different types of intervention: unstructured exercise, structured exercise and physical activity counselling. A total of 105 participants began the trial; 97 completed it. While body mass decreased and cardiorespiratory fitness improved across all three interventions, only structured exercise intervention saw a sustained and linear progression throughout the 12-week process.
How does this tie into NICE’s recommendations? NICE advice supports exercise as prevention, while findings from the Research Institute support the type of expertise that can only be delivered from within the sector. The pilot in Essex proved that all types of intervention could have an
impact on physical health within a relatively short time scale of 12 weeks. So an objective study delivered in a transferable community environment proved that structured, unstructured and physical activity counselling could have a positive impact on health. This complements recent advice from
NICE because it means any type of activity is beneficial, provided the individual does it regularly.
What does this mean in practice? The role of exercise in managing chronic conditions is widely acknowledged, as is the fact that physical activity can help prevent a host of potential health complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure. But the key to NICE’s advice for adults in primary care is its informality: it’s not compulsory to supply written recommendations or follow-ups. Neither does the advice support exercise referral in the traditional sense. Health experts of all kinds are expected to identify someone who could benefit from meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines
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(150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of higher intensity a week) and advise them accordingly. This advice should be tailored towards
each individual, taking into account not just their physical condition – ie if they have a chronic condition or disability – but also their personal motivations, goals, current level of activity, ability, circumstances and so on. The health and fitness industry has a
role to play here. The Research Institute is currently focused on sedentary people – people who may encounter primary health representatives still unaware that many day-to-day complaints can be aided by becoming more physically active. We therefore have the knowledge and expertise to help get this population group more active, and must communicate with the broader primary care profession – not only GPs but also pharmacists, midwives, etc – to educate them in giving advice, and ensure they are aware of our offering and able to signpost people in our direction.
So what do we do now? Primary care practitioners can only advise accordingly if they’re aware of what’s going on in their local area. With responsibility for public health having been transferred to local authorities, this is a great opportunity to notify and engage individual practitioners of the type of services on offer. There’s never been a better time to make physical activity a core business of the NHS.
Te fitness industry has a key role to play in helping primary health representatives advise on exercise 26 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital July 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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