Beat the Street - The Impact on Sheffield

Beat The Street Sheffield set out to increase physical activity levels in both adults and children, with a particular focus on addressing health inequalities. The response to the game from the city was overwhelmingly positive.

You may remember that when you registered for the game that there were some questions as part of the registration process, well this was to help the City understand the impact that the game had on Sheffield. Intelligent Health who delivered the game have spent some time crunching the numbers and we are keen to present the selected findings from the data we collected during and after the Beat Boxes visited Sheffield!

Beat the Street in Sheffield was the largest ever Beat the Street programme. Over 11% of the population (of c. 518,000) took part during the six-week game phase between 16 June and 28 July. 60,187 participants walked, jogged, ran, cycled, scooted and rolled a total of 452,870 miles between them.

Registration data was collected on 44,765 people, including 28,201 children at the start of the game, providing audience insight into who was taking part; their age, gender, ethnicity and from which areas of the city they lived. A further 32,149 people completed an additional (optional) survey on their physical activity levels, long-term conditions, disability and mental wellbeing. All this data helps us to understand whether the game was a success and had the desired impact of getting Sheffield to move more!

By comparing the registration data to local data, we can conclude that Beat the Street was able to reach people from each part of the city, young and old, active and inactive and those under-represented communities who are more likely to experience health inequalities.

Following the game phase, participants were invited to complete the health survey again, along with some additional questions which will allow us to measure the behaviour change and impact that Beat the Street has had on individuals.

Matched data was collected on 1,937 adults and 1,843 children. This data showed that of the adults (n=1,937) and children (n=1,843) who were inactive at the start of the game, 70% and 67% had become active when surveyed at the end of the game. People also reported increased feelings of life satisfaction and worthwhileness and lower levels of anxiety.

Mapping Participation

Over the 6-week game phase, our players actively travelled 7.5 miles per player on average.

The image below shows the levels of participation in the different parts of Sheffield where the Beat Boxes were located. Areas in red highlight the most participation (taps on Beat Boxes) and areas in blue highlight lower participation. There was strong engagement with Beat Boxes across Sheffield.

Following the game, 63% of players stated that Beat the Street encouraged them to explore new areas and 62% said it helped them feel like part of their community (based on 4,619 respondents).

Follow the QR code below to see the movement generated throughout Sheffield over just 24 hours of the game.

There was a clear spike in participation during morning and afternoon commute times. 35% of all activity undertaken was between 8–9am and 3–4pm which are typical commute periods.

Who took part?

Gender

57% of players who registered to take part were female, whereas 41% were male. A further 0.2% identified as non-binary and 2% preferred not to disclose their gender.

Age

63% of players who registered to take part were aged 18 or under. Another significant proportion of participants were aged between 30–49, likely to be the parents/carers of the schoolchildren. A further 4% were aged between 19–29 and 6% were aged 50+.

Participants with long term health conditions

15% of players who registered to take part in Beat the Street self-reported as having a long-term medical condition. 1% had diabetes, 0.4% had heart disease, 0.2% had COPD (emphysema), 7% had asthma, 2% had a mental health condition and 4% reported having another kind of long-term medical condition. 3% of players preferred not to answer this question.

Ethnicity

9% of players who registered to take part identified as being of Black, Asian and other culturally diverse backgrounds. 78% identified as being of white ethnic background and 3% preferred not to answer this question.

(Dis)ability

4% of players who registered to take part before the game self-reported as having a disability. 93% reported not having a disability whereas 3% preferred not to answer this question.

Socio Economic Group

37% of players who registered to take part were living in Index of Multiple Deprivation groups 1 and 2, which are defined as high by the government in England. 11% were living in in Index of Multiple Deprivation groups 3 and 4, which are defined as mid-high. 16% were living in Index of Multiple Deprivation groups 5 and 6, which are defined as mid. 15% were living in Index of Multiple Deprivation groups 7 and 8, which are defined as mid-low. 22% were living in Index of Multiple Deprivation groups 9 and 10, which are defined as low.

Inactivity

17% and 16% of adults and children who registered to take part were inactive before the game. For those living in areas of higher deprivation, inactivity levels were higher at registration.

Behaviour Change

Following Beat the Street, 67% of children who were inactive before the game, had become active (based on 1,843 matched pairs). This was consistently high for those living in areas of higher deprivation.

Active Travel

Most players felt they had travelled more actively during Beat the Street. 66% felt they had walked more, 8% felt they had cycled more, and 2% had wheeled more (based on 4,625 respondents).

Mental Wellbeing

Following Beat the Street, the wellbeing of residents improved. High or very high feelings of life satisfaction and worthwhileness both increased by 6%. Additionally, the proportion of adults reporting very low levels of anxiety increased by 7% and the proportion reporting high or very high levels of happiness remained the same (based on 1,977 matched pairs.

Conclusion

Beat the Street Sheffield set out to increase physical activity levels, improve health and wellbeing amongst its residents and encourage active travel. Over the 6-week game phase, 60,187 people walked, cycled, wheeled and scooted 452,964 miles. Following Beat the Street, 70% of adults and 67% of children were lifted out of inactivity. The game encouraged people to use active modes of travel to get to school and work, with Beat Box data showing 36% of all activity undertaken was between 8–9am and 3–4pm. 76% of players felt they had walked, cycled or wheeled more for travel as a result of Beat the Street. The game has led to significant improvements to the mental wellbeing of Sheffield residents.

Beat the Street wouldn’t have been such a success without the backing of a large cast of partners and supporters. Sheffield has created in its innovate whole system approach represented by Move More a network of partners in green spaces, sports and exercise, health and social care, and culture and communities. Our events with community partners, British Cycling, Meadowhall, the Olympic Legacy Park and Sheffield Eagles, the Canal and River Trust, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and Cliffhanger, the Bears of Sheffield and Create Sheffield, the Peak District National Park and SCC’s Parks and Countryside Service, were amazing collaborative events and opportunities that showed off the very best of Sheffield.

Our Engagement Coordinator team has continued to work with the partners, schools and communities they have established relationships with to support the Sheffield’s population to stay active.

Alasdair, Natalie and Daniel have all been instrumental in the legacy phase of the programme, working on a range of projects to ensure the sustainability of Beat the Street and the behaviour change that they helped to create. Key elements of this sustainability drive are: helping to roll out Play Streets across the city; creating opportunities for schools to become more engaged with the Peak District National Park through outdoor education opportunities for teachers and staff; linking schools to active travel and physical activity opportunities; Walk Leader training for community leaders; publicising local sport and exercise groups and green spaces; and continuing to signpost to opportunities for our players on social media and in our newsletter.

We also look forward to receiving and analysing the data from the 6- and 12-month surveys. Our qualitative data shows just how much Sheffield enjoyed Beat the Street, and the data presented here shows the effects the game continues to have on the city.