fit as a fiddle a holistic approach to physical activity and exercise jackie hayhoe fit as a fiddle...

Fit as a Fiddlea Holistic Approach to Physical Activity and ExerciseJackie Hayhoefit as a fiddle Portfolio Manager

Why is Fit as a Fiddle Needed

The older you are the less you participate.(A vision for 2020, Sport England 2004)

Among people older than 65, 12% cannot manage walking outside on their own and 9% cannot manage the stairs unaided.25% of women and 7 % of men do not have sufficient leg strength to get out of a chair without using their arms.20% of women and 14% of men over 50 do not have the flexibility to wash their hair comfortably.

(Skelton et al 1998)

What is Fit as a Fiddle

A Holistic Approach to Improving the Health and

Well Being of Older People

About Fit as a Fiddle

• £15.1m funding from Big Lottery over 5 years

• 24 different projects delivered across the England by over

500 organisations

• 2 national programmes

• Award winning programme

• Recognition from the European Commission and World

Health Organisation

• Externally evaluated and validated

280,000 older people taking part in physical

activity

265,123 older people eating more healthily

Recruited and worked with 4600 volunteers

Interim Evaluation Findings

• 21% of fit as a fiddle participants have “not good” health• 42% of fit as a fiddle participants have a limiting longstanding illness• 76% of fit as a fiddle participants were women•25% of fit as a fiddle participants are aged over 80

• 71.2 average age for men• 70.5 average age for women

• 83.8% of fit as a fiddle participants were white British, but higher than average attendances with

• 4.3% Asian or Asian British: Indian• 2.53% Asian or Asian British: Pakistani

Source Ecorys Interim Evaluation Report, October 2011

The impacts…..

• 33% increase in the amount of walking reported between the start of fit as a fiddle and 3 months afterwards• An average increase per person from 60 minutes of physical activity per week, to 77.5 minutes per week• An increase in strength and balance exercise with a median of 70 minutes per week, rising to 92.5 minutes per week at the end of fit as a fiddle and then rising again to 120 minutes. A 71% increase from baseline.•13% increase in the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten, rising from 4 to 4.5• Increased levels of independence and opportunities for social inclusion leading to reduced isolation

The real impacts……

“After suffering from ME for 25 years I am now experiencing a big improvement in my health”

“I couldn’t even get out of the bath….so I stopped having baths. Since I’ve been coming I can now do that”

“I feel much more confident that I’m not going to fall”

“I found within the first 6 weeks, my doctor was saying what are you doing?”

“I can now brush my hair”

THANK YOU

Any Questions

Jackie Hayhoe jackie.hayhoe@ageuk.org.uk