Physical Activity for Health Pathways
Creating supportive pathways that connect our health systems with local communities is the key to empowering more people to engage with physical activity in a way that works for them.
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The term ‘Physical Activity for Health Pathway’ broadly describes the processes and connections between service providers in the health and physical activity systems that ensure that individuals, identified to benefit their health, access support to be more active.
Characteristically, these pathways go beyond general promotion of the benefits to an active lifestyle and include providing a proportional level of support to people, to access structured physical activity opportunities and behavioural change support.
Aligning with evolving perspectives from the physical activity and health sectors, physical activity for health pathways integrate specialised support with community-based activities, complimenting the formation of integrated care systems, approaches such as social prescribing and their respective volunteer and professional workforces to present a unified offering for people, empowering them to develop the confidence and skills to become independently active.
The primary issue
Presently, our health care system supports a population of which 1 in 4 (14.2m) have multiple Long-Term Health Conditions (LTHCs), a statistic which is expected to reach 2/3 of those aged 65+ by 2035.
In order to reduce the 'burden' on the NHS and improve health outcomes for people, we must recognise and better utilise the full range of assets that are available.
Reducing physical inactivity needs to be a priority for population health. Reducing the populations sedentary time and supporting more people to fulfil a more active lifestyle could not only prevent up to 40% of LTHCs, but can help to manage more than 20 of the most common physical and mental health conditions too.
Physical activity needs to be developed as a core component of our health and care systems. It needs to be prioritised alongside routine care as a key intervention to support our health.
Secondary benefits
Physical activity plays an essential role in secondary prevention, enabling better self-management of health conditions and reducing deterioration or onset of additional health conditions. Yet, as a tool to support our health, within our health and care systems, physical activity remains chronically underutilised.
Integrating physical activity pathways will unlock the untapped potential of opportunities that can empower people to improve, manage and maintain their health.
A framework
Our framework for Physical Activity for Health Pathways allows us to follow a structured and consistent approach when working with our clients to development pathways at a local level.
