Evaluation of Two Different Delivery Approaches of a GP Exercise Referral Scheme

Summary

Physical activity (PA) benefits both physical and psychological health, yet the majority of UK adults are physically inactive. "Exercise for Health" (EFH) is a General Practitioner (GP) exercise referral scheme run in Liverpool for people who are inactive with a medical condition. Patients are referred by their GP practice, where they receive 12 weeks of subsidised exercise classes at their local leisure or community centre.

In 2012, one of the thirteen EFH centres (Centre A) introduced some changes to try and improve EFH at their centre. These changes included:

* a pre-scheme meeting with a health trainer, to help the patient decide if EFH is for them.
* exclusive classes (gym or activities) available daily for EFH participants (compared to gym only classes two or three times a week in other centres).

This non-randomised study will compare the effectiveness of the adapted EFH (Centre A) with standard EFH delivery (Centre B). All participants referred to centre A (n=100 approx) or centre B (n=100 approx) during the study period will be invited to take part. Changes in self-reported PA, PA self-efficacy and psychological wellbeing will be measured at the end of EFH (12 weeks) and at 12-month follow-up. A subsample of participants (n=15 from each centre) will take part in qualitative interviews to explore the factors that contribute to effectiveness.

A secondary aim is to explore psychological factors contributing to any differences between the two centres. Self-determination theory suggests that where participants feel they are offered choice, feel they are competent at exercise, and feel connected to people they exercise with, they will be more intrinsically motivated and more likely to continue exercising. Therefore it is hypothesised that participants attending the adapted EFH will be more motivated and more likely to continue exercising.

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Adapted Exercise for Health (EFH) scheme

12-week subsidised exercise programme at local authority-run leisure centres. Each participant receives a programme of activities tailored to their needs, based on a standard recommendation of two exercise sessions per week. In February 2012, Centre A introduced some changes to the EFH scheme as follows: * Pre-scheme meeting with a health trainer to help the patient decide if EFH is for them. * Participants offered specially tailored group classes (exclusive to EFH participants, e.g. low-impact circuits, Zumba) as well as access to the main gym. * Opportunities to attend daily. Although subsidised access to mainstream group classes and swim sessions (i.e. includes all leisure centre members) is also available, this option is not openly advertised on the adapted scheme.

BEHAVIORAL

Standard Exercise for Health (EFH) scheme

12-week subsidised exercise programme at local authority-run leisure centres. Each participant receives a programme of activities tailored to their needs, based on a standard recommendation of two exercise sessions per week. The scheme includes exclusive EFH gym sessions (i.e. includes EFH participants only) on two to three days of the week, plus subsidised access to mainstream group classes and swim sessions (i.e. includes all leisure centre members).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Brock University

  collaborator OTHER

• Liverpool John Moores University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Paula M Watson, PhD · Liverpool John Moores University

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-05-31

Primary Completion

2015-12-31

Completion

2015-12-31

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations