Identifying local authority need for, and uptake of, school-based physical activity promotion in England-a cluster analysis.
Date
2022-08-25ICR Author
Author
Venkatraman, T
Honeyford, K
Ram, B
M F van Sluijs, E
Costelloe, CE
Saxena, S
Type
Journal Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
BACKGROUND: School-based physical activity interventions such as The Daily Mile (TDM) are widely promoted in children's physical activity guidance. However, targeting such interventions to areas of greatest need is challenging since determinants vary across geographical areas. Our study aimed to identify local authorities in England with the greatest need to increase children's physical activity and assess whether TDM reaches school populations in areas with the highest need. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using routinely collected data from Public Health England. Datasets on health, census and the built environment were linked. We conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis to group local authorities by 'need' and estimated the association between 'need' and registration to TDM. RESULTS: We identified three clusters of high, medium and low need for physical activity interventions in 123 local authorities. Schools in high-need areas were more likely to be registered with TDM (incidence rate ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.39) compared with low-need areas. CONCLUSIONS: Determinants of children's physical activity cluster geographically across local authorities in England. TDM appears to be an equitable intervention reaching schools in local authorities with the highest needs. Health policy should account for clustering of health determinants to match interventions with populations most in need.
Collections
Subject
children
health promotion
physical activity
Child
Cluster Analysis
Cross-Sectional Studies
England
Exercise
Health Promotion
Humans
School Health Services
Research team
Health Informatics
Language
eng
Date accepted
2021-01-29
License start date
2022-08-25
Citation
Journal of Public Health, 2022, 44 (3), pp. 694 - 703
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)