The BEST Way to Break Down Barriers to Healthy Activity

Australian doctors are being encouraged to refer their patients to parkrun, a popular event which takes place each Saturday in local parkland settings, where participants complete a 5km route at their own pace.

We want doctors and their patients to more frequently use physical activity as part of their treatment plan for a range of illnesses and health complaints. A similar initiative is being trialled in the UK, a country where parkrun is equally popular.

The positive role of physical activity in helping prevent lifestyle related disease is well established. Also, physical activity has been shown to be beneficial in treating more complex conditions such as cancer and mental illness. 

The benefits are even greater when the physical activity is undertaken in green space and combined with social interaction.

It is for this reason that doctors are encouraging their patients to be more active, more often.

▲ Construction is well advanced on the Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology hub, which is set to open early next year.

There are, of course, challenges

It is no coincidence that dispensing pharmacies are located close to doctors’ surgeries.  Patients can easily collect their medicine after the appointment, increasing the likelihood they will adhere to the treatment plan. 

But when the prescription is physical activity, the response from a patient is not as straightforward. Where, and when, will the patient exercise? This is especially difficult when their doctor’s surgery is located in a shopping mall or on a busy road.

We know for people who are inactive there are some barriers to increasing physical activity levels. Those who are inactive are less likely to know what they should do and so forming valuable habits that make physical activity part of their daily and weekly routine is harder.  

This is where parkrun—and the Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology (BEST) Hub can help.

The typical high-performance centre is designed to remove barriers between training functions—the interior design allows athletes to move seamlessly between different areas.

Better performances

Positioning the changing rooms close to treatment rooms and gym helps encourage players to undertake strength and rehabilitation work, which, in turn, supports better performances.

At BEST, these design elements are in place with public health outcomes firmly in mind.

BEST is designed to enable services that are focused on public health to be delivered in a parkland setting where patients can step out of the clinic and into green space with a wealth of tracks and trails that connect BEST to the wider Western Sydney Parklands. 

BEST is located within the Blacktown International Sportspark, located in the heart of the Western Sydney Parklands and will open in early 2023.

For more information go to the BEST website: www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/BEST

Author

Dr Neil Gibson

Precinct director for Blacktown International Sportspark and Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub

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