Understanding Leisure Centre-Based Physical Activity after Physical Activity Referral: Evidence from Scheme Participants and Completers in Northumberland UK.

Jordan Bell,Lis Neubeck,Paul Kelly,Kai Jin,Coral L Hanson

doi:10.3390/ijerph18062957

Abstract

Physical activity referral schemes (PARS) are a popular physical activity (PA) intervention in the UK. Little is known about the type, intensity and duration of PA undertaken during and post PARS. We calculated weekly leisure centre-based moderate/vigorous PA for PARS participants (n = 448) and PARS completers (n = 746) in Northumberland, UK, between March 2019–February 2020 using administrative data. We categorised activity levels (<30 min/week, 30–149 min/week and ≥150 min/week) and used ordinal regression to examine predictors for activity category achieved. PARS participants took part in a median of 57.0 min (IQR 26.0–90.0) and PARS completers a median of 68.0 min (IQR 42.0–100.0) moderate/vigorous leisure centre-based PA per week. Being a PARS completer (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.61–2.82) was a positive predictor of achieving a higher level of physical activity category compared to PARS participants. Female PARS participants were less likely (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43–0.97) to achieve ≥30 min of moderate/vigorous LCPA per week compared to male PARS participants. PARS participants achieved 38.0% and PARS completers 45.3% of the World Health Organisation recommended ≥150 min of moderate/vigorous weekly PA through leisure centre use. Strategies integrated within PARS to promote PA outside of leisure centre-based activity may help participants achieve PA guidelines.

Highlights

Insufficient levels of physical activity (PA) are one of the major risk factors for death worldwide [1].There is strong evidence to show that physical inactivity increases the risk of coronary heart disease [2], type 2 diabetes [3] and some cancers [4,5]
Physical activity referral schemes (PARS) participants were less likely to achieve a higher level of physical activity category when compared to male PARS participants
Our results indicate that female PARS participants were less likely to achieve a higher level of physical activity category compared to male PARS participants

Summary

Introduction

Insufficient levels of PA are one of the major risk factors for death worldwide [1].There is strong evidence to show that physical inactivity increases the risk of coronary heart disease [2], type 2 diabetes [3] and some cancers [4,5]. Organisation (WHO) recommends that adults undertake at least 150 min of moderate activity per week [8] but in 2019, 36.8% of adults aged over 18 years in England failed to meet these guidelines and 24.6% of these did less than 30 min per week [9]. These data provide a powerful case for exploring interventions that increase PA for those who are not sufficiently active to benefit health

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