Active Older People HIT review of 2014-15

Professor Selena Gray and Dr Afroditi Stathi, Directors of the Active Older People Health Integration Team (APPHLE HIT) give an update on their work in 2014-15.

Active People:
Promoting Healthy Life Expectancy (APPHLE HIT) aims to increase the understanding
of the role of physical activity and ‘getting out and about’ for the health and
wellbeing of older people. In middle aged and older people, physical activity
helps individuals maintain their physical and mental function and reduces their
risk of disease, yet levels of activity generally are extremely low. Sedentary
behaviour dramatically increases health risk in older people and
disproportionately affects people with low socio-economic status.

We have established a steering group with links to key organisations,
including LinkAge, RSVP West (Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme), Bristol Ageing
Better, Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Councils, academics from the Universities of Bath, Bristol and UWE, and Public
Health England.

Project ACE (Active, Connected Engaged), led by Afroditi at
the University of Bath in collaboration with the Universities of Bristol and
West of England, was highlighted as one of only two UK initiatives to be
classified as a ‘promising practice’ by Public Health England. Their review of
952 initiatives identified what works for local physical inactivity
interventions. ACE explores whether peer volunteering encourages older people
to take part in physical and social activities. A low-cost and sustainable
intervention, ACE has already been adopted by
LinkAge in Bristol and we
are working to bring it to more areas of the city.

We have submitted a grant application to look at an
intervention to increase levels of physical activity in older people with
mobility limitations. We have also examined patterns of physical activity in
older people using the Bristol Quality of Life Survey, identifying significant
variation in different parts of the city and in different populations.

We are collaborating with NIHR
CLAHRC West and the Supporting Healthy Inclusive Neighbourhood Environments
(SHINE) HIT on a systematic review looking at the evidence that changes in the
built environment can impact on wellbeing and quality of life. We are also
mapping physical activity services, giving opportunities to collect systematic data
and to strengthen links between those working on physical activity in local
authorities and those involved in planning, transport and green space
management.