Understanding how leisure centre managers decide whether to deliver exercise programmes for people with chronic health conditions

The purpose of this project was to help facilitate the spread of exercise interventions for chronic
health conditions through raising awareness of leisure sector issues that researchers need to be
aware of. Many exercise interventions are delivered in NHS settings, but leisure centres and similar
community facilities can provide the space and the expertise to deliver interventions in a more
accessible way, allowing both NHS- and self-referral. However, understanding of the sector and how
best to meet its needs is not well-understood. By interviewing professionals working
in the sector, and carrying out an online survey, researchers were able to establish priorities, barriers and opportunities for researchers to work more closely with the sector.