Since 2017 Together an Active Future (TaAF), has been working to design physical activity back into life through engagement and collaboration with partner organisations of all types in Pennine Lancashire.
The issue of physical inactivity and its detrimental effects on both physical and mental health is widely accepted. TaAF is not a fitness program, or a community sports development initiative. It represents a comprehensive approach that prioritises collaborative partnerships, engagement, and leadership development, seeking to change the way things work in local government, health and the third sector. By fostering collaboration between local leaders, organisations, and passionate individuals, TaAF aims to create change so that movement becomes an integral part of everyday life for everyone.
There is good academic evidence for the effectiveness for some components of community-based approaches; for example group sessions, social networks such as buddy schemes and those that involve community members in their design. However, there has been limited evidence for interventional approaches such as TaAF that aim to initiate change within a complex system by empowering organisations and communities to make connections and changes that eventually lead to actions that increase physical activity.
One of the big challenges for projects like TaAF and other local delivery pilots has been the evidence of impact at a population scale. For the last few years, we have been working with the team at Liverpool University to analyse national data sets to understand whether we are seeing shifts in activity levels at a population scale in Pennine Lancashire.
The study demonstrates that TaAF has contributed to a substantial reduction in physical inactivity in Lancashire. This reduction translates to a 2.6% decrease in physical inactivity compared to other similar places in England.
“Results from the doubly robust difference-in-differences model, indicating the TaAF intervention was associated with a 2.6 percentage point decrease in physical inactivity, relative to the control group. In other words, we estimate that inactivity would have been 2.6 percentage points greater in the absence of TaAF.”
(Owen, Fahy & Barr, 2023)
The results of this study show the potential of “system” focussed approaches like TaAF in combating physical inactivity.
It’s important to remember that TaAF’s approach is not solely focused on encouraging physical activity. It is about building partnerships, developing collaboration, and considering and designing changes that cater to the specific needs of each locality and community. This approach shifts our perspective away from individual behaviour change and towards creating an environment where health-conscious decisions become the norm.
At a time when we are all grappling with health inequalities, through this evidence of impact emerges a sense of hope that if we approach change in place-based ways, with a focus on developing a more holistic systems focussed approach – we can tip the scales. There’s lots more to do, and this evidence supplements the other evaluation and impact assessment work which is ongoing for TaAF, but feels like an important indicator of population level impact for us to build on.
Read the British Medical Journal publication here