Understanding how to support people with arthritis to become more active and manage their condition

Cymru Versus Arthritis – Evaluation of Get Active for Arthritis

We reviewed the feedback from a self-management and training course developed by Versus Arthritis to understand which elements were most valued by participants and how it supported them to change their behaviour

What we did

We reviewed the feedback from a self-management and training course developed by Versus Arthritis to understand which elements were most valued by participants and how it supported them to change their behaviour

We worked closely with group leaders in each location to understand how the service had been adapted to meet the needs of the local population and aligned with existing resources available to people with arthritis

Qualitative analysis of who had been engaged by the service and the consequences of this on their activity levels and wellbeing provided evidence of the reach and scale of the service.

In-depth interviews with participants helped us to understand the barriers and enablers for people trying to be more active and the extent to which the service had benefited them

Case studies provided rich and contextual examples of how the service had engaged with different people with complex needs and supported them become more active and manage their condition

Our findings contributed to a learning document shared by the charity with Welsh Government and other stakeholders to help shape policy and practice to support people living with musculoskeletal conditions.

What we learned

Participants valued the self-management course’s focus on specific skills and activities that could be applied in their everyday lives, while also enjoying learning from and sharing their own experiences with others
Understanding and adapting to existing services in each locality has helped with recruitment and retention of participants and volunteers. Linking the Get Active for Arthritis project activities into existing arthritis support groups was particularly important.
The project would not have worked without volunteers, and project team members were careful to work with volunteers on what was reasonable to deliver for them. The importance of voluntary group leaders and activity leaders means they need to be supported and encouraged in order to protect the sustainability of the service.
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