People making long term healthy choices since Beat the Street

Residents of Poole and Purbeck are still making healthy lifestyle changes a Beat the Street report has revealed.

Over 10,000 people walked, cycled, jogged and scooted 67,272 miles when Beat the Street came to Poole and Purbeck in October and November 2018.

Beat the Street, funded by Public Health Dorset, aimed to get people in Poole and Purbeck exploring the county by foot or by bike by turning their communities into a giant game for six weeks.

The game worked by placing special sensors called Beat Boxes across the areas which could be tapped with cards and fobs to earn points – players competed against each other part of school, community and workplace teams with the top teams earning hundreds of pounds worth of prizes.

Adults and children who played the game were asked to complete a survey when the game started and six months since the game. The results are:

• 23 per cent of adults were inactive at the start of the programme. This reduced to 11 per cent six months later
• There was a 12 per cent increase in adults reporting meeting the recommended levels of physical activity
• The proportion of children who reported as inactive decreased by 34 per cent
• The number of children meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity increased by 27 per cent

The changes highlighted in the report suggest that Beat the Street has helped encourage thousands of people in Poole and Purbeck who did little to no exercise before the game, to become more active by walking, running or cycling around their community.

Councillor Lesley Desmond, BCP Council Portfolio Holder for Adults and Health said: “It was great to see so many people connect with the game and make healthy changes to their routine to get more active. What is even more impressive is that residents are continuing to find ways to make themselves and their families keep moving. We are so lucky to live in an area like Dorset and have lots of green open spaces, coast and parks to enjoy.

“I hope families continue their good work over summer and beyond.”

Dr William Bird, Intelligent Health CEO, who delivered Beat the Street, said: “The response to Beat the Street was incredible in Poole and Purbeck with more than 10,000 people walking, running and cycling as part of the game. Not only did Beat the Street manage to engage thousands in Dorset, but these results show that the game has helped break down many of the barriers to becoming active and helped people keep moving long after the challenge has finished.”

Notes to editors

For more information contact Public Health Dorset’s Communications Team on 01305 225284.

For more information about Public Health Dorset visit https://www.publichealthdorset.org.uk/ or sign up to our Health and Wellbeing e-newsletter www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/e-news