healthscotland.com

NHS Health Scotland works with and aims to influence a wide variety of the Scottish physical activity workforce to help build and strenghten capacity to promote physical activity. The workforce can be divided into 3 key groups:

• group 1- those for whom promotion of physical activity is a core part of their work;
• group 2- those for whom promoting physical activity forms a key part of their work but is not their main focus;
• group 3- those who play a supporting or indirect role.

Examples of capacity building:

Physical Activity and Health Alliance (PAHA)

The Physical Activity and Health Alliance is a joint collaboration facilitated by NHS Health Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. It exists to support physical activity and health practitioners in Scotland in the implementation of the Scottish Physical Activity Strategy 'Let's Make Scotland More Active' (Scottish Executive, 2003).

The Physical Activity and Health Alliance website provides practitioners in the field of physical activity and health in Scotland, with an interactive vehicle for two-way communication through which existing evidence, policy and practice will be disseminated and members encouraged to share knowledge and learning.

The Alliance aims to:

• disseminate existing evidence, policy and practice
• provide opportunities to enhance knowledge, enable learning and improve practice
• be a central hub of resources, tools and links
• build capacity across the Physical Activity workforce.

Learning and Workforce Development opportunities

Health Scotland supports the learning and development of the health improvement workforce throughout Scotland.

Further information can be found on the Health Scotland Learning and Workforce Development web pages.

The majority of the Scottish population visit their GP or practice nurse every 2-3 years and it is a key opportunity for health professionals to make their patients aware of the health benefits of physical activity especially to those who would benefit most. In addition to publications such as 'Energising Lives: Promoting Physical Activity in Primary Care' (a resource to support the work of those in primary care).

There are aslo online opportunities for learning which currently include Let's Make Scotland More Active-e which can be found via the NHS Health Scotland Virtual Learning Environment and 'Raising the Issue of Physical Activity', an e-learning course which is currently under development.

National Programme funding and management

NHS Health Scotland provides strategic project management to the variety of national physical activity projects that are funded by the Scottish Government. The SG have prioritised teenage girls and older adults for 2011-12 and funded projects are currently focussed on delivering against agreed national outcomes.

Raising awareness about the benefits of physical activity and providing access to information

Currently, only about one third of the Scottish population is aware of how much physical activity is needed for good health. Equally, there is an ongoing need to advocate for political support for physical activity to ensure that the topic is given equal status and attention as other health topics such as smoking and alcohol.

In 2008 the Scottish Government launched a national campaign 'Take Life On, One Step at a Time' to promote healthier living with information on healthy eating and being active.

In early 2011 a new phase of the Take Life On campaign aims to increase awareness amongst parents of the recommended physical activity guidelines for children of 60 minutes per day and that being overweight during childhood leads to risks of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease in later life. Visit the PAHA website for stakeholder information on this phase of the campaign.