In 2019, a research partner, Britain Thinks, was commissioned to deliver an extensive programme of research with residents of Greater Manchester in order to inform the design of a behaviour change campaign. This report is a summary of the findings of the research and the recommended guidelines for a campaign aimed at increasing activity levels among residents in the Greater Manchester area.
While aiming to target the inactive population overall, the campaign was particularly aimed at three specific groups who are less likely to be active: workless individuals, people with a long-term health condition and young people outside of school settings.
The recommendations were used to develop the That Counts! campaign and changed the way GM Moving (previously GreaterSport), think and talk about movement, physical activity and sport. Our narrative and mindsets shifted, internally and externally.
The initial research found physical activity is often interpreted narrowly as dedicated exercise and can exclude everyday forms of movement.
Additionally, many residents reported that they wanted to be more active and there was widespread recognition of the benefits of activity.
Many people faced barriers including a lack of time/routine, a lack of energy, cost, long-term health conditions, inadequate local facilities, fear of judgement and more.
With this in mind, ThatCounts! encouraged inactive people to move more by re-framing what it means to be active and raises awareness of the amount of activity people should aim to complete daily.
