Abstract

Quantitative Evidence from Britain's Everyday Swim Project

The Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University was appointed by the Amateur Swimming Association and Sport England to monitor and evaluate the Everyday Swim project over its two year duration. The project coincided with the largest survey of adult participation in sport and recreation ever conducted in England (Active People n = 364,000). In order to establish baselines for the local authority areas in which the project was being piloted, a considerable programme of secondary analysis was undertaken to achieve this goal and also to inform the local co-ordinators' knowledge of the swimming market.

Swimming is identified as the most participated in sport in England with 13.8% of adults (16+) swimming at least once in the last four weeks, which in turn is defined as 'regular swimming'. As the frequency of participation increases the participation rate falls rapidly. At the time of the research, Sport England was committed to a Public Service Agreement whereby it was tasked with increasing the proportion of the adult population who engaged in 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity on three days or more per week. The proportion of the population that achieved this goal through swimming alone was around 2%, or roughly one in seven swimmers. The key point of note about swimming participation is that it appears to be habitual. Therefore if people can be encouraged to take up swimming, then adherence rates after an intervention are likely to be higher than in other sports or active recreation pursuits.

Other encouraging findings include a significant increase in women's participation in swimming in the period 1987 to 2006, although curiously during the same period men's participation has declined. For the first time, the Active People data set permits detailed analysis to be undertaken of minority sports which in surveys of smaller sample sizes yield sub samples that are too small to conduct meaningful secondary analysis. However, in Aqua Fit there is a sub sample of over 1,300 respondents (participation rate = 0.36%) which enables a detailed analysis of the participants. Here it was found that, unusually, participation increases with age and that those with limiting and non-limiting sickness or illness had higher participations rate than their able bodied peers. These are all useful findings as policy makers struggle to increase people's levels of physical activity against a back drop of static trends over time and an ageing population. The presentation will develop these findings and the subsequent implications for improving public health.

Abstract

Overview of the Everyday Swim Project

The aim of the Everyday Swim project is to increase participation in swimming. This doesn't mean the number of swims, but the number of swimmers. That means attracting non-users, non-swimmers, returning or nervous swimmers, swimmers who cannot currently access pools and swimmers who currently choose not to access pools. And keeping them swimming on a regular basis.

The research undertaken so far by the project, and secondary analysis of the national Active People survey, demonstrate a strong business case for getting new people swimming. For example, the cost of teaching someone to swim can be recouped in under a year and there are significant health and social benefits (see Promoting Health keynotes).

Everyday Swim is about bringing about a culture change in the way swimming is delivered and perceived to make it something people want to do and want to keep doing. It is led by the Amateur Swimming Association and funded by Sport England (£3Million currently until December 2008) and local projects are matched by local partners (mostly local authorities) to over £1M.

There is a project in each region around the country, each with a different focus. Each has a project coordinator locally and critically there is a national network to bring the projects together to share learning and good practice. The network meets regularly. Information gathered is used by the ASA and its partners nationally to lobby relevant influencers to remove barriers to swimming.

The Overview presentation will provide examples of the work that the project has undertaken to challenge the industry and the public to think again about swimming:

• Reviewing 'appropriate swimwear' policies to enable people who wish to be more covered to swim in comfort AND safety
• Freeing up additional pool time through reviewing pool programmes
• Opening learner pools to parents and siblings during squad training to keep them active as well as entertained
• Managing open-days sensitively (rather than the usual open doors free for all) to encourage nervous swimmers - 'no obligation to swim' approach, tour of site, discussion with instructors
• Training and rota-ing on female lifeguards to ensure women-only swims are just that
• Opening up school pools for public use
• Training staff to be confident in dealing with and teaching people with disabilities
• Piloting and implementing new workforce qualifications to provide a much more varied pool programme
• Tackling concerns over cleanliness
• Outreach work to communities - do the people who pass the end of the road every day even know the pool is there?
• Bringing the gym culture to the pool – offering pool inductions and membership packages

 

Abstract

Qualitative Evidence from Britain's Everyday Swim Project

Individuals’ lives have been changed through Everyday Swim. This presentation on Qualitative Evidence will look at relatively small numbers but nevertheless powerful evidence for the impact of Everyday Swim on health and well-being.

Swimming appeals to groups of people who may not be able or inclined to access other sports and activities. The latent demand for swimming is high among some of the hardest to reach (see presentation on Quantitative Evidence).

This presentation will provide information on the areas of work which have been successful in attracting those with particular health needs or in delivering health and wellbeing outcomes for those who have taken part. The examples below and others will be shared.

The use of pool side ‘personal trainers’ in Easington to attract and motivate swimmers has helped swimmers to lose weight and increase fitness.

People with disabilities in Telford and Wrekin have been able to start swimming because of changes in the workforce and programme to provide appropriate lessons and fun sessions. As well as encouraging children and adults to learn to swim, being able to swim has relieved pain for some new swimmers.

Small changes to the pool environment in the Wirral have enabled older people to feel more confident in accessing the pool.

Moving the workout from the gym to the pool is starting to make the pool a more realistic option for people who are committing to get fit. New fitness-swimming and aqua-circuits qualifications for staff have enabled pools to offer a range of structured sessions and in turn given medical staff greater confidence in recommending the pool as a safe environment in which to exercise. Junior Aquafit has proven very popular in Easington. In Islington a new process for ‘inducting’ people to the pool makes ‘joining the gym’ a more realistic prospect for those who would struggle with land based exercise, as well as those with an interest in improving their technique.

Adults in Suffolk have kept diaries of their experiences of learning to swim, which show that many have overcome significant personal fears to walk through the doors of the centre, get in the water and learn to swim. This has had a significant positive impact on the psychological well-being of the participants.

A fun swim for teenagers (available for those who are referred through school nurses or self referral) has enabled health colleagues to regularly access children who require other lifestyles support in a non-threatening environment. Nutritionists and other health professionals have provided information and advice at the pool.

The Swim for Health project in Hull & East Riding, which was a trail blazer for the Everyday Swim projects has shown significant success in it’s GP referral programme going from 0 to 5 sessions a week in the lifetime of the project with significantly better demand and retention rates than for land based classes. The social impact for some of the participants has also been great here.