A Healthier Future: analysis of consultation responses

Annex 6: Encouraging physical activity

This annex contains respondents’ detailed suggestions in relation to Question 10, which asked how physical activity can contribute to tackling obesity.

Motivational tools and techniques to encourage physical activity

Suggestions were made about the development of motivational tools and techniques to encourage physical activity. These included:

• Using social media or text reminders / apps to provide motivational messages (e.g. different ways to burn up 100 calories)
• The use of incentives (participants in the Scottish Youth Parliament engagement event talked about ‘Sweat Coin’, an app that gives people a ‘digital currency’ whenever they work out; these Sweat Coins can be redeemed against the purchase of fitness clothing, access to gym classes, or other services or products)
• Providing pedometers or activity trackers on prescription, along with guidance on personalised goal setting
• (In some cases) providing intensive psychological support.

Active travel

Respondents agreed with the consultation paper that further investment in active travel should be prioritised at both national and local levels and they supported the commitment of 10% of the national transportation budget for active travel initiatives. Respondents frequently recounted the multiple benefits of walking and cycling and increased use of public transportation – not only for physical and mental health, but also for air quality, traffic congestion and the environment. They also highlighted the fact that walking and cycling can ‘double-up’ as transportation, and so can be more easily integrated into busy lifestyles – unlike an exercise class or a visit to the gym.

Respondents pointed to the existing barriers to active travel, including traffic levels and lack of infrastructure. They called for active travel to be ‘safe, affordable and convenient’, and they suggested that this could be achieved through:

• Bicycle borrowing facilities
• Increased availability of bicycle racks
• Use of workplace incentives such as cycle-to-work schemes
• Shower facilities in workplaces
• Cycle lanes separated from (or respected by) motorised traffic (thus, cycle lanes need to be enforced)
• Safe walking paths (well lit, with a good pavement surface, kept clear of ice and snow in winter)
• Development of park and ride facilities (with walking options).

They also thought that special consideration needed to be given to people living in rural areas – where, at present, the only practical form of travel is by car.

Respondents argued that public transportation costs in Scotland are expensive and are not the same across the country. They called for public transportation costs to be reduced on the one hand and, on the other, for measures to be introduced (e.g. increased purchase price, tax, parking restrictions) to discourage access to and use of private cars – except for people with disabilities.

Workplace initiatives

Respondents thought that workplaces could play a much greater role in encouraging physical activity among people in Scotland through, for example:

• Encouraging ‘walking meetings’ (i.e. walking and talking, rather than meeting around a table)
• Providing standing desks
• Developing healthy food and activity policies
• Encouraging employees to take short (10-minute) breaks twice a day to have a walk around the block
• Holding lunchtime exercise clubs (yoga, Zumba, etc.) or promoting lunchtime walks
• Promoting a Daily Mile
• Promoting and incentivising active travel.

It was suggested that the Healthy Working Lives Award scheme could be expanded to cover such initiatives.

Initiatives targeted at children and families

Respondents emphasised the importance of keeping children physically active. Some noted that there was much good work going on in nursery and primary schools (through Active Schools and the Daily Mile), but they expressed concerns that this good work was being undone in secondary school, university / college and the workplace. It was also noted that some schools are not meeting minimum requirements in relation to physical education, and there were calls for the Scottish Government to ensure that these requirements are met.

Some of the suggestions made by respondents included:

• Creating car parking / bus drop-off exclusion zones around schools to encourage children to walk a reasonable distance to school
• Ensuring that the Curriculum for Excellence puts greater emphasis on health and wellbeing, including diet and exercise
• Ensuring that children and young people have safe places to play in their neighbourhoods (this needs to be addressed in the planning process for new residential developments; some respondents also pointed to recent cases where children’s playgrounds and sports fields had been sold for property development)
• Providing more opportunities for families to become active together (i.e. developing family oriented after-school clubs, offering mother and child Zumba classes through local authority leisure centres, etc.).

Respondents to the Young Scot survey highlighted some of the barriers for young people in becoming more active. These included pressures associated with school, college or university work; a physical health condition; and lack of motivation / confidence.

Improving the availability and accessibility of local assets

Some respondents highlighted the importance of having easy access to green spaces (parks, community gardens, nature trails, etc.) and the benefits of walking and gardening. They emphasised the need to improve the availability and standard of such spaces, and there were suggestions that local parks could be closed to all traffic at regular, scheduled times to allow people to use the park roads for exercise.

Other respondents discussed ways of improving access to local leisure and recreation facilities – and ways of removing financial barriers in particular. It was suggested that consideration should be given to the affordability of local authority leisure centres and that these centres should be available to everyone, regardless of income or physical / mental disability. Respondents also called for action to allow better access to school sport and leisure facilities by members of the community during evenings, weekends, and school holidays.

Making use of planning regulations and building standards to support physical activity

Respondents thought that there was scope for planning regulations and building standards to better support active neighbourhoods. It was suggested that all new buildings and developments, particularly those in the public sector, should be required to consider how both the internal and external space can be used to enable people to more active. Some respondents referred to the Place Standard tool ^[34] and suggested that this could be used to help set minimum standards in this area.