New physical activity & nutritional strategy for Mansfield

The Mansfield Health Partnership appointed Prospects4Sport to develop a Physical Activity and Nutrition Strategic Action Plan for the district of Mansfield.

The aim of the Strategic Action Plan was ‘to help adults in Mansfield leading a sedentary lifestyle to become more active and to eat a healthier more nutritious diet’.

This Physical Activity and Nutrition Strategic Action Plan was in response to low levels of participation in physical activity and the high obesity levels within Mansfield. The Health Partnership needed a clear future direction and to know what services were required across the district in the areas of greatest need.

We researched the Active People Survey data, mapped the obesity data, and consulted with the public and stakeholders.
We found:

• a lack of physical activity activities for the 20-55 age group
• barriers such as motivational barriers, awareness, the skills of the staff delivering programmes, time and lack of confidence
• the need for training for front line staff
• a blanket approach to communication and marketing
• a lack of evidence to show which projects were having an impact and which were not.

The strategic plan has resulted in the Health Partnership setting clear aims and outcomes:

1. increasing physical activity year on year amongst sedentary adults in the 20-55 age group, in priority geographical areas, through co-ordinating delivery and reducing barriers
2. ensuring a coordinated approach to the delivery of nutritional services and projects across the priority areas to bring about a reduction in obesity amongst adults (including a reduction in the barriers to participation in healthy eating)
3. an increase in the skills and knowledge of the workforce (professionals and workers in contact with community members) to provide the advice and support to encourage community members to make healthy lifestyle choices
4. enhanced and accessible methods of promoting services and projects to the hard to reach groups and demonstrating how these services are beneficial to all. Combined with an improvement in the approach by health professionals to signposting members of the community to existing and new services
5. the introduction of monitoring and evaluation procedures / guidance across the district to capture evidence to determine whether projects are meeting their objectives and ultimately impacting on participation and obesity levels.