No images? Click here Your weekly physical activity bulletin16 November 2021 We are working towards improving the health and wellbeing of the nation through sport, exercise and physical activity. For more information on our work visit our website or follow us on Twitter @NCSEM_PAnews Participants wanted for a new study looking at the benefits and challenges of remote workingResearchers at Loughborough University are looking to explore worker’s views on remote working and the benefits and challenges of this in the future. Many people have been required to work from home across the pandemic lockdown periods. This extended period has indicated that efficiencies might be available by considering alternative locations for work. This project will explore the personal challenges and benefits to the working population of remote/hybrid working, and explore worker’s thoughts, opinions and preferences about their future working location(s) and practices. Guidance to help leisure facilities appeal more to womenNew guidance from Sport England aims to help gym and leisure facilities become more welcoming to women and girls in a bid to narrow the gender activity gap. The latest Active Lives report shows men continue to be more regularly active than women, which is why the This Girl Can campaign partnered with ukactive to produce the guidance. Developed over nine months and using extensive research and insight, it includes practical guidance and checklists to help improve the engagement, experience and confidence of women and girls using gyms and other leisure facilities. Earlier this year, in partnership with This Girl Can, ukactive commissioned Savanta ComRes to conduct a survey of more than 1,000 women and girls. The results from this, as well as those from a series of focus groups carried out by the ukactive Research Institute, informed the development of the guidance. They showed that 60% of respondents visited a fitness or leisure centre at least once a month in the past three years, but that 50% of women with experience of exercising in these settings in the past three years worry about being judged. Of those with a fear of judgement, more were concerned about being judged by other women (27%) than by men (22%). Bedtime linked with heart healthGoing to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart and circulatory disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health. While many studies have investigated the link between sleep duration and heart and circulatory diseases, the relationship between sleep timing and heart disease hasn’t been explored as thoroughly. This study included 88,026 individuals in the UK Biobank recruited between 2006 and 2010. Participants wore an accelerometer on their wrist for seven days, which collected information on the times they went to sleep and woke up. They were then followed up over an average of 5.7 years for a new diagnosis of a heart and circulatory disease. 3,172 participants (3.6 per cent) developed heart and circulatory disease during follow up. Compared to people who fell asleep between 10:00 and 10:59pm, people who fell asleep after midnight had a 25 per cent higher risk of developing heart and circulatory disease. Those who fell asleep between 11:00 and 11:59pm had a 12 per cent higher risk, while falling asleep before 10:00pm led to a 24 per cent increased risk. Health of some ethnic minority groups in the UK equivalent to White people at least 20 years older, according to a new studyA new study from researchers at the Universities of Sussex and Manchester, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has revealed stark health inequalities between different ethnic groups. Inequalities in health become apparent from around age 30 and continue to widen as people age, becoming particularly pronounced by the time that people are in later life. The research found that at any age after 30, people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds experience the worst health of any ethnic group, with rates of poor health that are equivalent to those of White people at least 20 years older. For example, 22% of White British women in their 80s report poor health – the same proportion as for women from Pakistani backgrounds in their 50s (23%). And the rate of poor health for women from Bangladeshi backgrounds in their 40s (14%) is equivalent to that of White British women in their 70s (14%). The analysis also shows that rates of poor health among men and women from Black Caribbean backgrounds are equivalent to those of White British people around ten years older. Overall, people from Pakistani backgrounds are twice as likely to report poor health than White people; for people from Bangladeshi backgrounds, the odds are 1.64 times higher, and for the Black Caribbean group the chances of reporting poor health are 1.5 times higher than for White British people. afPE Launches Innovative Pilot Placing PE at the Heart of the School CurriculumThe Association for Physical Education (afPE) is set to deliver pilot in partnership with United Learning. The 18-month programme will see PE trialled as a core subject across a selection of the group’s primary and secondary academies. Edward Timpson, Chair of the afPE Taskforce, has announced the launch of a new pilot to review the impact of PE as a core subject on the school curriculum. Over the next 18 months, the action-research pilot will see up to twenty United Learning primary and secondary academies reframe PE as a core subject, alongside English, maths and science, as opposed to its present position as a foundation subject. Whilst there is no regulatory difference between the two, the ‘Test and Learn’ initiative will explore what an increase in expectations in PE looks like in practice, and ultimately assess the impact this has upon young people’s physical, social and mental health. As part of the pilot, afPE and United Learning will be working in partnership with staff across the participating schools to review their existing provision, and support them in developing a broad and balanced PE curriculum that is at the heart of school life. This will involve ensuring PE time is adequate and protected in the curriculum, and that all schools are meeting a required set of standard Sensory Alliance new project supports older people to be activeThe Sensory Alliance has been awarded a grant from the Tackling Inequalities Fund to support older people with sensory impairments become more active. The project will initially focus on the boroughs Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, and Croydon, but it is open to anyone over the age of 45 in London who has a sensory impairment. Individuals who register for the project will receive an accessible, downloadable activity pack containing a variety of activities that they can do alone or with friends and family in their homes or local spaces. In addition, The Sensory Alliance will provide training opportunities to assist local partners and organisations in becoming more confident in delivering inclusive activities to those with sensory impairments. Neurophysios win national award for pioneering virtual exercise classesNeuro Heroes has been recognised for its engaging exercise provision and building of a UK-wide community by winning the person-centred care category in the UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network Awards. Founded a year ago by physiotherapists Laura Douglas and Anna Kharin Neuro Heroes organised virtual exercise sessions during the pandemic for people living with Parkinson’s. There are 145,000 people living with Parkinson's in the UK, and young onset PD and Parkinson's in general is on the rise. Neuro Heroes was created to give people with neurological conditions an opportunity to get active at home under the guidance of a specialist neurological physiotherapist and motivate people with Parkinson’s in a supportive group setting. They aim to empower people with the condition to meet physical activity guidelines, which suggest that 2.5 hours of exercise a week can be as important as medication in helping to control and manage Parkinson’s symptoms. Neuro Heroes has four Parkinson’s exercise sessions a week and a community of ‘Heroes’ whose motivation and weekly goals have shaped its service. People have increased their one minute ‘sit -to-stand’ scores by an average of 15 repetitions and have consistently reduced the number of steps needed to turn, improved functional balance and reduced falls risk. They have also shared their approach and reflections with other specialist teams so the benefits of the project can spread. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive it either via the SSEHS Active website or the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (East Midlands) website. Read our privacy policy. |