An evaluation of a community-based intervention in England aiming to reduce inequalities in exercise participation
Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University
How they used Delve
Public health researchers at London South Bank University used Delve to thematically code serial interviews with 27 participants in a community exercise referral scheme in England, combining inductive and deductive coding to work out which of the scheme's novel features - a personalised programme, extended time, free and subsidised access, a dedicated health coach - actually removed barriers to taking part.
“Data were analysed thematically with a combined inductive and deductive coding approach and supported by Delve analytics software (29).”
- Field
- Physical activity and health inequalities; a process evaluation of a community-based exercise referral scheme designed to remove cost, access and time barriers in an English town
- Data
- Serial individual interviews with 27 intervention participants, each up to an hour and spread over a 10-month window at different stages of the six-month intervention, exploring experiences of the scheme's novel features and the barriers and facilitators to uptake; the wider evaluation also covered 320 referred individuals' routine outcome data and 229 street-intercept interviews with residents of the target ward
- Approach
- Mixed-methods process evaluation across four workstreams, following the MRC framework for evaluating complex interventions. The interview strand was analysed thematically with a combined inductive and deductive coding approach in Delve; the intervention's routine outcome data were analysed statistically after stratification by referral route, demographics, socioeconomic status and engagement, and a descriptive cost analysis was run alongside.
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
Introduction: Exercise referral schemes are a common intervention that seek to address physical inactivity. There is limited evidence on whether they can address the inequalities in inactivity associated with income, age, and gender. A novel intervention that sought to address barriers to the uptake of physical activity schemes including access, cost, and specific health and social needs of participants was evaluated in a mixed methods study. Methods: Serial qualitative interviews with participants were conducted across three time points over the six-month intervention and the routine outcome data collected by the delivery partner were statistically analysed after stratification for referral route, demographic and socioeconomic status and engagement. Data from non-participants in the intervention from the targeted community were collected through street intercept surveys. A descriptive cost analysis was undertaken to understand the cost of delivery. Results and discussion: The study found small improvements in health outcomes and engagement. The novel features of the intervention that aimed to address inequalities in the uptake of physical activity-personalised programme, extended time offer, free and subsidised offer, a dedicated health coach-all succeeded in acting as enablers to uptake although very few individuals met the recommended frequency for attendance.
Citation
Jane Wills, Katya N. Mileva, Susie Sykes, Charles H. Graham, Chris Flood, C Jenkins, Jessica Owugha, Terassa Taylor-Kaveney (2025). An evaluation of a community-based intervention in England aiming to reduce inequalities in exercise participation. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1505249