PAL Scheme Launch

On Friday 15th April, we launched the first phase of the Physical Activity Loyalty Card Scheme (PAL Scheme) at Stormont Estate. 
Using the latest technology, sensors are placed around Stormont Estate and users of a 'loyalty card' can collect points for being active.  Users can also use their loyalty card to keep track of the number of minutes of activity that they undertake, the amount of calories that you have burned and distance covered.

This is an exciting new initiative that we plan to roll out along the Connswater Community Greenway in the future.

PARC Study Ezine

Hot off the press! We have produced the first issue of the PARC Study ezine.  You can read a copy of this ezine by going to the Connswater Community Greenway website (http://www.communitygreenway.co.uk/).

Park Usage

This week the PARC study team along with the help of 16 volunteers from East Belfast are out along the Connswater Community Greenway route collecting information on the number of people using the parks and green spaces in the area.  This part of the study will finish on Sunday 6th February.

The PARC study team would like to say a big thank you to all those volunteers who have come back to help us again and to the new volunteers who have joined the team.  Thanks to you all for braving the cold, wind and rain to help us out.

PARC Household Survey

Exciting news! On Monday 31st January we finished the year long data collection of our large household survey of residents in East Belfast.  The PARC study team would like to say a big thank you to Perceptive Insight Marketing Research for all their hard work in completing the feedback. Over the next few weeks we will be busy analysing the data and will report back on our findings soon.

Walk Score

 

Check out our new Walk Score app added to the end of the page.

Walk Score allows anyone to calculate how walkable their neighbourhood is.

http://www.walkscore.com/ 

Living in a walkable environment has been linked to wellbeing, obesity, physical activity, diet and the list continues to grow!

Good to see the CCG office is in a very walkable area

UK Society of Behavioural Medicine Conference

Researchers working on the PARC study recently attended the UK Society of Behavioural Medicine 6th Annual Scientific Meeting in Leeds (http://uksbm.org.uk/).


Prof Frank Kee delivered a key note lecture on new paradigms in public health medicine.


Dr Alberto Longo presented his work on the influence of safety, ease of access to local facilities and aesthetics on changes in physical activity. 

Dr Ruth Hunter presented a poster on physical activity and deprivation.

Claire Cleland presented her work on  community leaders' experiences of physical activity interventions in a socio-economically disadvantaged area.

Latest article about physical activity from the PARC team

There is a lot of interest in using objective monitors to promote and measure physical activity.
Here is a link to a recent article on the subject

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/ptr/2010/00000015/00000003/art00001

It is an editorial article as part of a special edition on the use of activity monitors in clinical populations.