The UK is one of the most inactive nations in the world, with around half of the population not hitting government guidelines of 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
Many local and regional health campaigns have been launched but have had mixed success in boosting activity. Recognising the limitations of traditional health initiatives and the potential provided by behavioural insights and new technology to engage whole communities, Intelligent Health has developed Beat the Street.
Beat the Street is a twelve-month programme with a fun and simple game at its core. Over six weeks, Beat the Street transforms a community into a playable city by placing special sensors called beat boxes on lampposts across an area.
Local residents are given cards and fobs and encouraged to tap as many beat boxes as possible to record their journey and receive points. Schools, community groups and businesses are galvanised into physical activity by competing against each other to see who can travel the furthest, score the most points and win prizes.
As opposed to traditional physical activity campaigns, Beat the Street does not focus on health or wellbeing in its messaging. Instead it engages with hard-to-reach groups by talking about how much fun players can have exploring their neighbourhood, scoring points for their team and playing the game with friends and family.
As a result of Beat the Street’s health-by-stealth approach, Intelligent Health has been able to inspire thousands of people to become much more physically active. In 2015, 39% of residents living in Annan and Dalbeattie in Scotland took part in the game, and by the end of 2016 more than 500,000 people are expected to have played Beat the Street across the world.
Beat the Street not only engages huge numbers of people, but it makes a lasting, positive difference to the health and wellbeing of communities where it has been delivered. Over two years of the service being available in Reading, there has been a 20% increase in the number of people reaching the Department of Health’s recommended activity levels of 150 minutes a week.
Over the past year, Beat the Street has been recognised for its innovative approach to changing public health by organisations including Nesta and UK Active.
Looking ahead, Beat the Street will soon be arriving in seven more towns and cities this autumn – reaching a combined combination of more than 1.2 million people. Among our upcoming programmes is Beat the Street Northern Ireland which will covering a population of more than 670,000 people in Belfast and the surrounding areas. Beat the Street’s creative and unique programme is reaching communities across the world and lifting hundreds of thousands of people into physical activity.