The National Referral Database: An initial overview

Background: In 2014 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) called for development of a system to collate local data on exercise referral schemes (ERS) to inform future practice. This database would be used to facilitate continued evaluation of ERS. ‘Big data’ analytics is a current trend in healthcare with the potential to influence decision making. Indeed, the use of health databases can spur scientific investigation and generation of evidence regarding healthcare practice. NICEs recommendation has not yet been met by public health bodies. However, through collaboration between ukactive, ReferAll, a specialist in software solutions for exercise referral, and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, data has been collated from multiple UK based ERS to generate one of the largest databases of its kind and move towards meeting NICEs recommendation. Method: This paper describes the formation of The National Referral Database, its structure including outcome measures, data cleaning processes, and in two accompanying manuscripts the first initial observational insights are presented from analysis of this data. Results: Collating data from 19 ERSs on 24,086 individuals, a database has been created containing pre and post referral data for metrics including; physical activity, blood pressure, BMI, resting heart rate, SWEMWBS scores, ESES scores, WHO5 scores and ERQoL scores. After data cleaning processes there were 14 ERSs remaining covering 23,782 participants with an average age of 51±15 years and 68% of whom were female. Further, the database contains demographic information, reason for referral, medical conditions, and information on the referrer. Conclusion: This database has now been created and the initial data is available for researchers to interrogate. The National Referral Database represents a potentially valuable resource for the wider research community, as well as policy makers and practitioners in this area, which will facilitate a better understanding of ERS and other physical activity related social prescribing pathways to help inform public health policy and practice. Longer term plans include establishment of the database as an open resource, continually updated with additional data and version controls, for researchers to access for further research and policy makers and practitioners to use to inform their policies/practices.

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The National ReferAll Database: An Open Dataset of Exercise Referral Schemes Across the UK

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094831 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4831

Author(s):

James Steele ◽

Matthew Wade ◽

Robert J. Copeland ◽

Stuart Stokes ◽

Rachel Stokes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Research Community ◽

Research Centre ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Local Data ◽

Exercise Medicine ◽

Sport And Exercise ◽

The Uk ◽

Exercise Referral

In 2014, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) called for the development of a system to collate local data on exercise referral schemes (ERS). This database would be used to facilitate continued evaluation of ERS. The use of health databases can spur scientific investigation and the generation of evidence regarding healthcare practice. NICE’s recommendation has not yet been met by public health bodies. Through collaboration between ukactive, ReferAll, a specialist in software solutions for exercise referral, and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, which has its research hub at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, in Sheffield, data has been collated from multiple UK-based ERS to generate one of the largest databases of its kind. This database moves the research community towards meeting NICEs recommendation. This paper describes the formation and open sharing of The National ReferAll Database, data-cleaning processes, and its structure, including outcome measures. Collating data from 123 ERSs on 39,283 individuals, a database has been created containing both scheme and referral level characteristics in addition to outcome measures over time. The National ReferAll Database is openly available for researchers to interrogate. The National ReferAll Database represents a potentially valuable resource for the wider research community, as well as policy makers and practitioners in this area, which will facilitate a better understanding of ERS and other physical-activity-related social prescribing pathways to help inform public health policy and practice.

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The Demise of an Australian Physical Activity Alliance

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2018-0042 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 795-798

Author(s):

Rebecca Reynolds ◽

David Menzies ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Online Survey ◽

Government Funding ◽

Collective Impact ◽

Governmental Funding ◽

Exercise Referral ◽

Exercise Referral Scheme ◽

National Physical Activity

Background: Physical activity health promotion coalitions are uncommon but important for beneficial collective impact on public health. The authors sought to obtain the viewpoints of member organizations of an Australian physical activity alliance, the National Physical Activity Alliance. Methods: The authors conducted an online survey regarding member agenda, commitment, and vision for the alliance. Questions were mostly open ended (eg, “What are the 3 areas of priority related to physical activity that you would like The Alliance to focus on?”). A total of 11 Australian organizations involved in physical activity public health (eg, the nongovernment organization Alzheimer’s Australia and the professional fitness association Fitness Australia). Results: 82% of members responded to the survey. Member programs and goals were diverse and overlapping. There was agreement among members that the main priority area for alliance focus was a national exercise referral scheme. Barriers for members achieving their own goals as well as alliance goals focused on governmental issues, including inadequate government funding for physical activity public health. Conclusions: This novel survey highlights the promise and difficulties of a physical activity coalition, with the difficulties, namely lack of governmental funding, resulting in a stagnation of the alliance’s activities since the study was carried out.

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Systematic review of diet and physical activity intervention aimed at reducing excess weight gain in pregnancy: Outcomes and implications for public health policy and practice

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice ◽

10.1016/j.orcp.2010.09.139 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. S71

Author(s):

Karen Campbell ◽

Kylie Hesketh ◽

Paige Van der Plight

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Pregnancy Outcomes ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Health Policy And Practice ◽

In Pregnancy

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Knowledge translation and health policy for burden of disease

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.1380 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

E Pallari ◽

S T Thomsen ◽

H B M Hilderink

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Knowledge Translation ◽

Burden Of Disease ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Regional Office ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The Public ◽

European Public ◽

Disability Adjusted Life ◽

Life Years

Abstract A key goal of most Burden of Disease (BoD) studies is to support public health policies. However, while the concepts of BoD and Disability Adjusted Life years have been introduced more than 25 years, BoD researchers are still struggling to find better ways to translate their findings and communicate them to the relevant decision makers and other stakeholders. To address this gap, the burden-eu COST Action aims to generate better guidance of the use of BoD metrics in policy-making processes. In collaboration with experts in knowledge translation and risk communication, the Action will compile good practices in knowledge translation and develop a roadmap to integrate knowledge translation in national BOD studies. To support these objectives, collaborations have been established with knowledge translation experts from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, and the European Public Health Association. During an initial meeting of the “knowledge translation” working group, 29 participants identified elements in the pathway from evidence generation to practice that need to be addressed. Building on the outcomes of this meeting and the inputs from the knowledge translation experts, this presentation will introduce the knowledge translation framework, and address some of the challenges in identifying best routes to reach out to the public and policy-makers. Specific emphasis will be placed in profiling the context, actors and processes of each country within the policy triangle, and drawing on best and worst example case studies. Additionally, the process will be discussed to co-create a toolkit or guide for using BoD evidence in policy and practice. The session will conclude with an interaction with the audience to learn about the perceived barriers for implementing knowledge translation within the BoD framework.

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Re-imagining the ‘social’ in the nutrition sciences

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980011001297 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 352-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Lisa Schubert ◽

Danielle Gallegos ◽

Wendy Foley ◽

Claire Harrison

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Dimension ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Nutrition Science ◽

Rich Diversity ◽

Nutrition Research ◽

The Social ◽

Intervention Planning

AbstractObjectiveIn response to The New Nutrition Science Project's Giessen Declaration, we provide here a case for a more fully described and integrated ‘social’ dimension within the nutrition sciences.DesignThis paper explores what we mean when we argue for socially engaged nutrition sciences (SENS), and describes the disciplinary fields, epistemologies and methodologies that contribute to SENS’ potential rich diversity and value. Additionally, the current positioning of ‘social nutrition’ research within the nutrition sciences is critiqued.ResultsThere is fairly broad acceptance of the ‘social’ as an important contributor to successful public health nutrition situation analyses, intervention planning and implementation. However, we assert that the ‘social’ is not merely a contributor, the usual position, but is central. Implications for policy and practice that could follow from this shift in approach are outlined.ConclusionsWe call for researchers, educators, policy makers and practitioners alike to re-imagine the role and purpose of social science enquiry that could enable the delivery of more socially engaged nutrition sciences.

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Evaluation of the Public Health England and Sport England Funded Physical Activity Clinical Advice Pad Pilot in Primary Care

10.31219/osf.io/st94m ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Robert J. Copeland ◽

Anna Myers ◽

Helen Quirk ◽

Helen Crank ◽

David Broom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

The Public ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Exercise Medicine ◽

Independent Evaluation ◽

Innovative Work ◽

Sport And Exercise ◽

Brief Advice ◽

Improve Health

In 2014 Public Health England (PHE) launched the national physical activity (PA) framework ‘Everybody Active, Everyday’. The framework included a key domain for action called ‘Moving Professionals’. The Moving Professionals Programme aimed to build expertise and leadership across key professional sectors and to raise awareness and understanding of the health benefits of PA among professionals and the wider public. The Moving Professionals Programme comprised a number of innovative work packages that are described elsewhere (See Brannan et al., 2019). The Physical Activity Clinical Advice Pad (PACAP) pilot was one element of the Moving Professionals Programme, and aimed to; increase the number of primary healthcare professionals (HCPs) in England who integrate brief advice on PA into their routine clinical practice.The PACAP provides advice about the amount and type of PA required to improve health and was designed to look like a prescription pad to aid compliance with the advice provided. It also provides tips on different ways to become more active and signposts users to the PHE Active 10 app and One You website. The purpose of the PACAP was to prompt and facilitate conversations about PA between HCPs and patients.In 2017, PHE and Sport England invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from Local Authority (LA) and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) partnerships across England to engage in the pilot. Twenty-five applications were returned and ten partnerships were invited to take part in the PACAP pilot.As part of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) network, academics at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) were commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the PACAP pilot. The NCSEM were not responsible for the implementation or delivery of the PACAP pilot. The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach to explore the acceptability of the PACAP pilot. Data was collected from patients and HCPs using surveys, telephone interviews, focus groups and audits between April 2018 and February 2019. This report details the evaluation findings, provides recommendation for future iterations of the project and provides implications for scaling the PACAP across additional localities in England.

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Social Experiences of Breastfeeding

10.1332/policypress/9781447338499.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Child Health ◽

Social Science Research ◽

Science Research ◽

Social Experiences ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Cultural Contexts ◽

The Social ◽

Real Change

This book brings together international academics, policy makers, and practitioners to build bridges between the real world and scholarship on breastfeeding. It asks the question: How can the latest social science research into breastfeeding be used to improve support at both policy and practice level, in order to help women breastfeed and to breastfeed for longer? The book includes discussion about the social and cultural contexts of breastfeeding and looks at how policy and practice can apply this to women's experiences. This will be essential reading for academics, policy makers and practitioners in public health, midwifery, child health, sociology, women's studies, psychology, human geography, and anthropology, who want to make a real change for mothers.

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