background and summary of findings - gmhsc€¦ · web viewbackground clever together was...

Taking Charge TogetherResults from

Getting Greater Manchester Active

Presented to Claire Norman, Zoe O’Neill

Date 10/08/2016

Authors Leila Hoda, Peter Thomond, Astrid Grant

Purpose of this document

To summarise the findings of our recent project with the GMHSC Partnership – “Taking Charge Together – Getting Greater Manchester Active”.

Background and summary of findings...................................................................................................2

Background........................................................................................................................................2

Summary of findings..........................................................................................................................2

Engagement and contribution levels.....................................................................................................4

Gateway questionnaire results..............................................................................................................4

Overview...........................................................................................................................................4

Analysis..............................................................................................................................................4

Online workshop...................................................................................................................................9

Overview...........................................................................................................................................9

What our participants told us..........................................................................................................10

Next steps............................................................................................................................................19

of 20Commercial in confidence

Copyright Clever Together Lab LimitedFor more information visit www.clevertogether.com

http://www.clevertogether.com/

Background and summary of findingsBackgroundClever Together was commissioned by the GMHSC Partnership Team to be its strategic crowdsourcing partner. Its involvement in the ‘Taking Charge Together – Getting Manchester Active’ project was to develop, promote and host a focused, fast online workshop. To deliver this, Clever Together deployed a ‘microsite’ to give members of the public, experts and community leaders access to:

a gateway questionnaire – a series of questions for people to share some information about themselves to help us to better understand the profile of our participants, and

a crowdsourcing platform – an online workshop for people to join a conversation about what stops or helps individuals and communities from being active.

These tools together aimed to:

contribute insight into what the people of Greater Manchester and subject matter experts believe blocks or enables people to be active,

create a shared narrative for the region upon which new interventions can be designed or existing work can be scaled, and

identify great work in the region that can be celebrated.

On 17th June we launched the Getting Greater Manchester Active online workshop with the general public, community leaders and subject matter experts. The conversation closed on 8 th July 2016.

This paper summarises the key stats, facts and insights from a rapid analysis of data points collected during this period.

Summary of findingsIn the first Taking Charge Together project we explored what stops or helps people to take charge of their own health. Our analysis revealed that one of the key issues people are grappling with is being more physically active. Reasons suggested for this included lack of confidence, lack of time, and a variety of challenges with local leisure facilities and parks. To further explore these barriers to inactivity and identify some potential solutions, we launched the Getting Greater Manchester Active project described in this report.

In total, 5,990 people visited the Taking Charge Together microsite. Of these people:

607 completed the gateway questionnaire, 601 entered the online workshop, and 17% of online workshop participants were identified as active contributors.

The participation profile of the online workshop is broadly representative of the population of Greater Manchester, based on ethnic mix and area of residence. Furthermore, we estimate that as many as one in two participants work for public or non-profit organisations.




Collectively, participants shared 1,374 ideas, comments and votes. The conversation revealed three key barriers that seem to stop people from being more active. Upon deeper analysis, were able to break these barriers down into sub-themes, presented in Table 1 below. We believe that interventions targeted at addressing each of these sub-themes will effectively help people to be more active. In fact, many contributions suggested specific solutions for these barriers.

We struggle to be more active because…Lack of confidence and self-belief

It is hard to do it alone It is hard to find the confidence and the motivation to exercise or join a leisure center all on my own.

Lack of information I would like to be more active but I don’t know what exercises I am supposed to do, especially exercises that are appropriate for my health condition.

Fear of being judged- I don’t like my body

I am worried about my appearance. I have no confidence in my body.

Fear of being judged- Lack of skills

I am not confident in my ability to be active.

Local leisure facilities and parks

Perception of accessibility & availability

I find it difficult to use leisure facilities because there are limited facilities close to where I work and live, and those that are in my area don’t have flexible opening hours that suit my schedule.

Perception of safety and appearance

Our public parks and cycling routes are not safe and well maintained, especially in some areas of Greater Manchester.

Perception of expense I can’t afford to become a member at a gym or even council leisure facilities.

Perception of my needs not being met

I feel facilities do not accommodate my needs, such as providing childcare or spaces suited for people like me who have a mental illness.

Lack of time Seizing every opportunity to be active

I am overwhelmed by all the demands of life and also fail to see my daily activities as an opportunity to be more active.

Time management I don’t manage my time properly.

Table 1: Primary themes emerging from the online workshop conversation.

In summary, our findings:

support the views of ‘I will You will’ and ‘This Girl Can’, suggesting we should be seeking to share our findings and work with them in more structured ways,

provide strong insights that can be used to design collaborative projects with other organisations such as I will You will, and




clearly point to the need for applying human-centred design to communication campaigns, leisure facilities and interventions aimed at targeting specific conditions or groups.

Engagement and contribution levelsWe launched the Getting Greater Manchester Active online workshop on Friday 17 th of June. We invited our public database that we created in the first Taking Charge Together online workshop. We also activated networks of experts and community leaders to join this small representative cross-section of the public to create deeper insight into the key barriers of being more active. As a result:

5,990 people visited our Taking Charge Together microsite,

607 people completed the gateway questionnaire (questions asked previous to joining the online workshop to help us understand the profile of participants),

601 entered the online workshop (99% conversion rate, 1% dropout rate. Typical dropout rate for public campaigns is 50%),

17% of the online workshop participants were defined as active contributors, having made most of the contributions,

participants submitted 1,374 contributions (132 ideas, 178 comments and 1064 votes), and participants took part in the conversation from locations that were convenient to them, not

necessarily home (Figure 1).

Gateway questionnaire resultsOverviewThe Getting Greater Manchester Active campaign has reached a broad range of people from every borough of Greater Manchester, age group, gender group, ethnic group and a relevant mix of employment backgrounds. We feel the profile of participation is broadly representative of Greater Manchester’s population and therefore a population worth listening to.

AnalysisThe participation in our gateway questionnaire was analysed by different variables:

participant’s background (member of public or subject matter expert), disability, age group, gender, sexual orientation, borough/region of residence, ethnic group, current employment status,



Fig 1: A map to show where participants


employment in public/non-profit sector, and willingness to be contacted for future GM Devo campaigns.

In sections that follow, a “participant” is defined as someone who has completed the gateway questionnaire during the period of 17th June and 8th July 2016. For each variable, where possible and sensible, we have compared the profile of our sample with the make-up of Greater Manchester’s population.

In order to understand better participants’ backgrounds, we asked them:

in what capacity were they participating – a member of the public or a subject matter expert, and

if they are carers.

90.08% identified themselves as members of the public and 7.27% of participants identified themselves as subject matter experts. 13.88% of participants identified as carers.

90.08%

7.27% 2.64%

Type of participant

a member of the publica subject matter expertRather not say

Fig 2. Breakdown of respondents as either members of the public or subject matter experts.

83.47%

13.88%

1.49% 1.16%

Responses to 'Are you a carer?'

No

Yes

I'm not sure

Rather not say

Fig 3. Breakdown of respondents based on whether they identify themselves as carers.

Do our participants have a disability85.45% of participants identified themselves as not having a disability while 12.89% said they considered they had a disability (see figure 4).



85.45%

1.65%

12.89%

Responses to 'Do you consider yourself to have a disability?'

NoYesYes


Fig 4. Breakdown of respondents based on whether they identify themselves as having a disability.




The gender of our participantsThe vast majority of participants (74.21%) identified themselves as female whilst only 25.45% identify themselves as male. A very low percentage of people (0.17%) identified themselves as non-binary (see figure 6).

74.21%

25.45%

0.17% 0.17%Gender of our articipants

FemaleMaleNon-binary (Neither female nor male)Rather not say

Fig 5. Gender distribution of those who responded to the gateway questionnaire.

Sexual orientation of our participantsMajority of participants (91.24%) identified themselves as heterosexual or straight, whilst 3.47% identified themselves as gay or lesbian, 2.81% identified themselves as bisexual and 0.17% as transgender (see figure 6).

91.24%

3.47%

2.81% 1.82% 0.50%0.17%

Sexual Orientation of participants

Heterosexual or straightGay or lesbianBisexualRather not sayDon't knowTransgender

Fig 6. Sexual orientation respondents to the gateway questionnaire.




Where our participants liveWe attracted people from every region of Greater Manchester. Wigan is underrepresented, whilst Tameside/Glossop, Stockport, Rochdale, City of Manchester and Bolton are slightly overrepresented (see figure 7).

Bolton

Bury

City of Manchester

Oldham

Rochdale

City of Salford

Stockport

Tameside / Glossop

Trafford

Wigan

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00%

6.12%

6.28%

14.05%

6.94%

4.63%

10.58%

15.37%

14.21%

8.76%

5.29%

10.00%

7.00%

19.00%

8.00%

8.00%

9.00%

10.00%

9.00%

8.00%

12.00%

Where our participants live

% of Total GM Population% of Total Participants

Fig 7. Representation of different regions of Greater Manchester in our gateway questionnaire compared to the GM’s actual population.




The ethnic mix of our participantsParticipants from most ethnic backgrounds responded to our gateway questionnaire. It is worth noting that those self-identifying as ‘White: British’ group form the majority of participants (Table 2).

Ethnic group % of Total Participants % of Total GM Population

White: British 85.62% 79.84%White: Other 3.14% 2.62%Other 2.64% 3.28%White: Irish 2.31% 1.29%Asian British or Asian: Indian 1.82% 1.99%Asian British or Asian: Pakistani 1.16% 4.85%Black British or Black: African 1.16% 0.66%Asian British or Asian: Other 0.99% 1.06%Asian British or Asian: Chinese 0.50% 0.97%Black British or Black: Caribbean 0.17% 1.67%Asian British or Asian: Bangladeshi 0.00% 1.27%Black British or Black: Other 0.00% 0.43%White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller 0.00% 0.06%Rather not say 0.50%

Table 2: Breakdown of gateway questionnaire respondents by ethnic background.

The employment status of our participantsMajority of our participants (79.34%) are employed and around 11% aren’t working due to disability, ill health or being retired (see figure 8).

79.34%

1.49%

0.99%

9.92%

2.64% 2.31% 3.31%Employment status of participants

EmployedNot working – due to disabilityNot working – due to ill healthNot working – retiredRather not sayStudentUnemployed

Fig 8. A figure to show the employment status of those who responded to the gateway questionnaire.




Employment in public/non-profit sector56.03% of participants identified themselves as employees in the public or non-profit sectors and 43.97% did not.

Participants willing to be contacted for future online workshops87.11% of participants confirmed they can be contacted for Devolution Manchester’s future workshops.

Online workshopOverviewUltimately, a key ambition of the Partnership is to help shift the “health and well-being curve” of the entire region in a positive direction – enhancing the mean level of welling of 2.7+ million people.

As presented in our last project with the GMHSC Partnership (see www.TakingChargeTogether.org.uk), the “average narrative” of Greater Manchester shows us that majority GM citizens want to get more active. Yet, they said the following factors prevent them from taking charge:

lack of time, lack of confidence and self-belief, and local leisure facilities and parks.

This said, the average person appears to be open to low-cost, simple, high-impact ways of achieving their ‘more active’ outcomes. Given this backdrop, on 17th June we launched a second, focused, online workshop to hold a conversation to explore these barriers further and how we can change this.

To achieve this aim, we structured our online workshop around four discussion areas – three corresponding to the barriers mentioned above and one overarching question:

1. Lack of confidence and self-beliefWhy do some people lack the confidence and self-belief to be active?

2. Lack of timeWhat tips do you have for people who say they don’t have the time to be active?

3. Local leisure facilities and parksWhat stops people from using local leisure facilities and parks? And why?

4. Getting more activeWhat can successfully get more people, more active, more often? How does your idea or experience help to tackle issues with confidence, time and leisure facilities/parks?

601 people joined the online workshop. Most elected to observe the conversation with 17% being most active. Our "crowd" collectively shared 1,374 ideas, comments and votes across the four discussion areas. Participants self-selected to contribute to the area of the online workshop they are naturally more interested in (see figure 9).




37%

24%

20%

19%

Percentage of contributions per discussion area

Lack of confidence and self-beliefGetting more activeLack of timeLocal leisure facilities and parks

Figure 9: The weight of the conversation per each online workshop question.

What our participants told usThis conversation reaffirmed our view that the three key barriers to physical activity are time, confidence/self-belief and challenges with leisure facilities. Participants did not identify any new barriers.

Our analysis of the conversation also suggested that confidence and self-belief are foundational factors that impact how people see all other barriers and opportunities. Specifically relating to getting active, it takes confidence and self-belief to think positively and resourcefully about getting active despite limited time and challenges with local leisure and park facilities.

The three barriers and their relationship are presented in figure 10 below.

Figure 10. The three barriers to being active identified by participants.




Barrier 1- lack of confidence and self-beliefOnline workshop participants shared 687 contributions to explore why some people lack the confidence and self-belief to be active. Analysis of these contributions revealed four drivers:

Theme Total Contributions % of Total Contributions

It is hard to do it alone 286 42%Lack of information 196 29%Fear of being judged- I don't like my body 142 21%Fear of being judged- Lack of skills 63 9%

Table 3: The weight of the conversation by the four themes related to lack of confidence and self-belief.

It is hard to do it alone

There were 286 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of ‘It is hard to do it alone’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

It is hard to find the confidence and the motivation to exercise or join a leisure centre all on my own. I find exercising on my own boring, and at the same time I feel intimated by being active in public, especially the idea of going on my own to the gym. I also find that I don’t have the right support in place to help me be more active. I think it would help if we:

make group classes and gyms more welcoming and inclusive encourage employers to enable their staff to take time to exercise during work hours set up a ‘gym buddy’ system, either organised by individuals or by local leisure facilities and

community centres set up support groups for people who have a perception that they ‘don’t belong’, i.e. people

who are overweight, or walk groups for people with Knee injuries introduce more group activities in parks make exercise sessions a social event make it fun by introducing challenges – counting steps using pedometers have been really

successful have family classes where adults can exercise alongside children

Example ideas and solutions

Title: Encourage employers and middle managers to let their staff exercise during workQuote: “Particularly in office jobs, we're descending into a culture of "if you're not at your desk, you're not doing your job". Taking time to get up and exercise is not part of the culture - you're clearly not Giving 110% and you're clearly Not A Team Player.” (27 likes, 0 dislikes, 9 comments).

Title: Make it socialQuote: “Whatever the event, like say a walk around a park, make it a social event with a chance to meet new people rather than just about the activity.” (17 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).




Title: Gym buddiesQuote: “People often feel intimidated by gyms or by going on their own. Is there an opportunity for 'gym buddies' (like befrienders)? That way, people could have company to go to the gym until they feel confident to go on their own” (16 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comments).

Title: Walking Group/PartnersQuote: “I have a major heart condition. I have been told by my Cardiologist that walking will build up my heart strength. I hate walking by myself. We need groups to encourage each other” (16 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comments).

Lack of information

There were 196 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of ‘It is hard to do it alone’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I would like to be more active but I don’t know what exercises I am supposed to do that are appropriate for my health condition. It would be helpful if we:

make taster sessions more available, appealing and fun - find opportunities for people to try different activities to find what is right for them

provide information to those who want to cycle to increase their confidence and skills create a system where GPs prescribe exercise packages provide more information in parks and outdoor facilities on opening hours, location of

toilets, restaurants etc.


Title: I'm trapped and its embarrassing.Quote: “I know I'm overweight. I know I need to be more active. I'm just too embarrassed to admit that I don't know what exercise to do, that I'll look stupid in those gym outfits and I just can’t think of any way to make it fun” (25 likes, 2 dislikes, 14 comments).

Title: Lack of incentiveQuote: “It may be that I haven't yet found the right activity for me. Taster sessions may be an option set up either before or after work so that I can try it out before committing either financially or in major amounts of time.” (16 likes, 0 dislikes, 3 comments).

Title: GP exercise packages.Quote: “I think GPs should be able to prescribe exercise packages with a personal trainer for patients struggling to get mobile and fit, or at risk of further ill health and extra cost to the NHS” (10 likes, 2 dislikes, 3 comments).

Fear of being judged- I don’t like my body

There were 142 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of fear of being judged because of body image. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and




example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I am worried about my appearance. I have little to no confidence in my body image and don’t like everyone to see me wobble while exercising. I feel it would be helpful if we:

replace the glamorised toned and fit public image of those who exercise with a realistic one such as those portrayed in the This Girl Can campaign

offer more weight management programs to help people gain confidence design swimming and fitness classes specifically for overweight people design communication and motivational slogans, such as those used in This Girl Can

campaign, specifically designed for people who are not active


Title: Body imageQuote: “I suspect a lot of people may have problems with their self perceived body image. Our old friend the media still portrays fit and healthy people as young and lithe so, if you're not, it can be a bit daunting to turn up to a gym and don lycra.” (22 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comments).

Title: Not comfortable in your own skinQuote: “I don't want people to see my wobbly bits and my thunder thighs bouncing up and down on the treadmill.” (12 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).

Title: Private swimming sessions for the seriously overweightQuote: “I really love swimming but haven't been for years as I cannot face the walk of shame from the changing room and the sidelong smirks and looks of horror as I wobble to the pool. If there were some classes which were specifically for very overweight people where there was no judging, I would be there every day - whatever the time slot and would be happy to pay.” (12 likes, 1 dislikes, 1 comments).

Title: Village style changing roomsQuote: “A lot of the local authority leisure facilities have 'village style' changing rooms for swimming. This can be very off-putting for people, who aren't body confident, and for people who just plain don't want to get changed or shower in the same room as the opposite sex. The village changing rooms tend to be for swimming, but not for the gym - which doesn't make sense!” (11 likes, 1 dislikes, 2 comments).

Fear of being judged- Lack of skills

There were 63 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of ‘fear of being judged because I don't have the skills to be active’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.




Narrative

I am not confident in my ability to be active - I simply look stupid when I'm exercising. I often feel that sport is something for people are good at sport. I think it would be help if we:

run communication campaigns to change the perception that sport is ‘competitive’ and for people who are good at ‘elite sport’,

encourage children, regardless of their ability, to take part in sport from an early age encourage those who are not fit to start with small steps to build up their ability


Title: 'Being active' needs to lose its competitive stigmaQuote: “There is often too much impetus put upon elite sport and going to the gym to gain the perfect physique. This is not helped that large sports clubs and leisure centres focus too much on the children who like sport and show some natural ability from an early age. We need to stop judging and criticizing people who are not active to be competitive, but to have fun instead!” (17 likes, 0 dislikes, 6 comments).

Title: My son is not confident but also not encouraged at school to be more activeQuote: “In my experience of having a Son who is not very fond of or confident with sports, I've found that he is not encouraged enough at School. Children should be encouraged from a young age regardless of ability. My son feels that he isn't encouraged because he isn't very good and this puts him off sporting activities.” (10 likes, 1 dislikes, 4 comments).

Barrier 2 – Local leisure facilities and parksOnline workshop participants shared 409 contributions to explore issues around parks and leisure facilities. Analysis of these contributions revealed four core themes of:

Theme Total Contributions

% of Total Contributions

Accessibility & Availability 125 31%Safety and appearance 117 29%Perception of expense 88 22%Perception of my needs not being met 79 19%

Table 4: The weight of the conversation by the four themes related to local leisure facilities and parks.

Perceptions of accessibility and availability

There were 125 contributions shared by participants that revolve around the subject of ‘accessibility and availability’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I find it difficult to use leisure facilities because there not enough facilities and those available don’t have flexible opening hours that suit my schedule. I feel it would be helpful if we:

increase the number of leisure facilities and parks, increase the variety of activities available in our leisure facilities and parks, introduce flexible opening times of leisure facilities and parks,




have parks with areas with sheltered cover so they can be used when it’s raining, and provide public transport that links into leisure facilities and parks.

Example evidence

Title: Need to be innovative with parksQuote: “Increased facilities would help people use parks and also having more structured programmes in them.” (8 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Title: Not 9 till 5Quote: “Opening times at pools and gyms not worker friendly not open late or early enough.” (8 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Title: Rain sheltered outdoor play areas for kidsQuote: “Why don't councils provide rain sheltered parks for kids to play under.” (5 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Title: Public transportQuote: “Public transport needs to link into leisure facilities.” (5 likes, 0 dislikes, 5 comments).

Perceptions of safety and appearance

There were 117 contributions shared by participants that revolve around the subject of ‘safety and appearance’ of our leisure facilities and parks. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

Our public parks and cycling routes are not safe, especially in some areas of Greater Manchester. I also like other outdoors activities, but I feel like some of the public leisure facilities and parks aren’t safe enough for me and my children. On top of this, some parks and public spaces are not maintained properly so they look run down and not appealing. I feel it would be helpful if we:

ensure appropriate maintenance of our leisure facilities and parks, tackle antisocial behaviour in leisure facilities and parks, and build more safe cycling lanes.

Example evidence

Title: Cycling concernsQuote: “Cycling still feels too dangerous. There are some leisure routes which are very easy but to get to them you have to ride through other busy areas to get to them.” (20 likes, 0 dislikes, 5 comments).

Title: Improve facilities in local parksQuote: “Due to local government cuts most public parks are wholly neglected. I find walking in my once beautiful local park very depressing.” (12 likes, 0 dislikes, 4 comments).




Title: Anti social behaviour in public places prevents the public engaging in outdoor activitiesQuote: “stop antisocial behaviour and people will engage in outdoor activities more regularly.” (18 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Perception of expense

There were 88 contributions shared by participants that revolve around the subject of ‘perception of leisure facilities being expensive’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I can’t afford a gym membership or even council leisure facilities. I feel it would be helpful if we:

reduce gym prices, offer flexible gym packages that are adapted to people’s priorities, extend Rochdale’s activ8me programme across Greater Manchester, and promote the use of public transport.

Example evidence

Title: Cost of using facilitiesQuote: “The main thing that stops me from using local leisure facilities is the cost. I can't afford gym memberships or even council leisure facilities.” (20 likes, 0 dislikes, 5 comments).

Title: Provide heavily subsidised, excellent public transport and raise the relative cost of driving.Quote: “My wife and I can drive into Manchester and park for the day for less than it costs for the two of us to take public transport. It also takes less time than using even the "express" buses and is more flexible. We therefore have no financial or time incentive to leave the car at home and use public transport, which would get us walking far more.” (11 likes, 2 dislikes, 4 comments).

Title: Gym price reductionsQuote: “I would like to see a reduction in gym prices I like the gym and don't feel confident to exercise outside but the costing is often a barrier.” (7 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Perception of needs not being met

There were 79 contributions shared by participants that revolve around the subject of people feeling like leisure facilities and parks don’t meet their specific needs. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I don’t feel like the facilities can accommodate my needs. I’d like to use leisure facilities and parks more often, but most of them aren’t (I) family friendly (there are no childcare or activities where children are allowed, this means I can’t take my children with me and need someone to look after them), (II) respectful of my needs that stem from my confidence / religion / physical ability /mental




health (our leisure and facilities are not particularly welcoming for people who have anxiety, are autistic or struggle to be active). I feel it would be helpful if we:

introduce childcare in every leisure facility, offer classes and activities where children are allowed, make sure people with mental health issues feel welcome, and take into account of different cultures and religions when designing leisure facilities.

Example evidence

Title: Gyms and leisure facilities are not family friendly.Quote: “Many gyms and organised activities do not take into account the fact that many parents would need childcare in order to participate.” (10 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Title: Depression and Anxiety – mental health pressures making it hard to motivate yourself.Quote: “People suffering with depression and/or anxiety (whether diagnosed or not), can face additional struggles to being active.” (7 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).

Title: The behavioural, cultural and religious barriersQuote: “Many people of different background, religion, culture and behaviour too do not feel at ease going to the gym, swimming or partaking in some physical activities.” (4 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comment).

Barrier 3- Lack of timeOnline workshop participants shared 248 contributions to explore issues and solutions related to a perceived lack of time. Analysis of these contributions revealed two core themes:

Theme Total Contributions

% of Total Contributions

Seizing every opportunity to be active 218 80%Time management 30 11%

Table 5: The weight of the conversation by the four themes related to lack of time.

Seizing every opportunity to be active

There were 218 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of ‘seizing every opportunity to be active’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

I am overwhelmed by all the demands of life and also fail to see my daily activities as an opportunity to be more active. It would be helpful if I:

walk more, take the stairs instead of the elevator, do 5-7 minute workout during my breaks at work, replace car journeys with walking, and




build up my strength gradually by doing short periods of exercise.


Title: WalkingQuote: “I try to walk as much as I can. You can even make this a family ritual, but taking the whole family for a long walk on weekends.” (16 likes, 0 dislikes, 2 comments).

Title: Every little step countsQuote: “I am a single parent with two kids and a full time job. At all times I am either handling the kids or I'm at work. So instead of going to the gym, I try to walk or cycle instead of taking the bus. Or I take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. I think every little step counts.” (10 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).

Title: Incorporate exercise into everyday lifeQuote: “Exercise shouldn't be an add on to life. Make it part of everyday life. If you can walk or cycle to work, school, college, or the shops.” (6 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).

Time management

There were 30 contributions shared by participants that revolved around the subject of ‘time management’. Below we share an aggregate narrative for this core theme and example evidence in the form of ideas and solutions that come directly from the online workshop participants.

Narrative

It's hard to manage my time properly. It would help if I schedule my exercise time into my calendar and commit to these times but this is usually impossible.


Title: Make a timetableQuote: “It probably sounds naff but I actually did draw up a weekly timetable for myself, where I put in designated times for gym activity. This helped me navigate through the various competing priorities in my life and meant that I had no excuse for not working out, as it was programmed into my day and I could see that I did have time to do it.” (6 likes, 0 dislikes, 1 comments).

Title: TimetablingQuote: “I have started booking in exercise slots in my diary, as with other meetings and commitments, with a start time and finish time. I look at them in the same way as all my business meetings” (5 likes, 0 dislikes, 0 comments).




Next stepsThe insights generated by this project can be used to enhance existing programmes and interventions as well as to devise new programmes and interventions based on targeting specific groups with specific needs. To do this, we recommend three activities:

1. Present our insights to local health and fitness leaders to compare and further validate our findings. This would ideally take the form of a physical workshop with groups including healthy lifestyle commissioners, heads of leisure/parks services, I Will You Will campaigners and any other groups with an interest in taking a data-led approach to solving this challenge.

2. Identify organisations with whom we could partner (e.g. I will You will) and develop joint programmes and interventions to help the people of Greater Manchester get active.

3. Work with partners to develop a public manifesto for the use of human-centred design approaches when developing and improving programmes and facilities within Greater Manchester. For instance our findings demonstrate that while people lack confidence to take part in group exercise, they are also calling for more support groups. These findings seem at odds with one another, yet if we apply a human-centred approach, then we would design classes specifically for people with a certain condition or experience (e.g. classes specifically for overweight people or walking groups for people with knee-injuries).




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