Patterning in Patient Referral to and Uptake of a National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) in Wales from 2008 to 2017: A Data Linkage Study

Kelly Morgan, Muhammad Rahman and Graham Moore
Additional contact information
Kelly Morgan: Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK
Muhammad Rahman: Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Graham Moore: Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Exercise referral schemes have shown small but positive impacts in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Less is known about the long-term reach of scaled up schemes following a RCT. A RCT of the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) in Wales was completed in 2010, and the scheme scaled up across Wales. In this study, using a retrospective data linkage design, anonymized NERS data were linked to routine health records for referrals between 2008 and 2017. Rates of referral and uptake were modelled across years and a multilevel logistic regression model examined predictors of uptake. In total, 83,598 patients have been referred to the scheme and 67.31% of eligible patients took up NERS. Older adults and referrals for a musculoskeletal or level four condition were more likely to take up NERS. Males, mental health referrals, non-GP referrals and those in the most deprived groupings were less likely to take up NERS. Trends revealed an overall decrease over time in referrals and uptake rates among the most deprived grouping relative to those in the least deprived group. Findings indicate a widening of inequality in referral and uptake following positive RCT findings, both in terms of patient socioeconomic status and referrals for mental health.

Keywords: physical activity; public health; intervention; exercise referral; primary care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3942/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3942/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:11:p:3942-:d:366370

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().