Physical Activity and Behaviour Change in Slough

Background

Slough Borough Council commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake an in-depth, community led research project that involved Slough residents in a local conversation on health and activity levels. Primarily, it focussed on what residents believed they can do to keep physically and mentally well and prevent poor health in themselves and their loved ones.

Methodology

We took an Appreciative Inquiry approach, supported by the COM-B behaviour change model, to investigate residents’ capabilities, opportunity and motivation. We utilised qualitative focus groups and chattabouts, our ‘streetwise’ form of group discussions, but more informal and participatory.

This was followed by a large-scale doorstep survey to measure the extent to which the key qualitative findings existed in a representative sample of residents Borough wide.

Outcomes

In the main, residents’ knowledge and awareness (their psychological capability) had been informed by National and local campaigns on healthy eating and exercise… but only on what people ‘should’ be doing. Children found it much easier to list the things that detracted from a healthy and active lifestyle; computer games and social media = inactive lifestyles, fast food, sugar, drinking, smoking, drugs.

Key barriers are said to be ‘time’, ‘safety concerns’, ‘education’ and need for greater ‘social’ opportunity activities.
Some residents felt the Council should be doing more to promote healthier behaviours, particularly to reduce the availability of poorer choices, e.g. not allowing new fast food outlets.

More details are available here.