A new article showcasing how Beat the Street has been helping turn towns into active communities has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Beat the Street is Intelligent Health’s award-winning physical activity initiative which helps entire towns, cities and counties get moving by turning their area into a game. Successful schemes in the UK and worldwide have engaged more than 900,000 people to date.
Authored by CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, Dr William Bird, as well as Intelligent Health’s Research Lead, Marc Harris, the article highlights the significance of Beat the Street against a backdrop of increasing inactivity in the UK — “if current trends continue, 35% of people living in the UK will be less active by 2030.”
The article not only highlights the success of Beat the Street in engaging harder-to-reach groups — with 71% of participants being women and 30% living in the highest two deciles of multiple deprivation. Additionally, the piece shows how the initiative leads to substantial changes in behaviour and wellbeing with players reporting decreases in inactivity, increases in active travel and improve mental well-being.
Dr William Bird, CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, said: “The British Journal of Sports Medicine is one of the top publications produced by the BMJ so it is fantastic to see Beat the Street featured. We have a wealth of evidence showing the impact of Beat the Street over the past several years and, following investment from Sport England, we are excited to be bringing the game to even more towns and cities across England in the next few years.”
