Study design of ‘Move More’: Development and feasibility of a social-prescribing intervention to increase physical activity among inactive Danes

Abstract

Aim:

This paper describes the design of the ‘Move More’ study, which aims to develop and assess the feasibility of a social-prescribing intervention to increase physical activity among physically inactive Danes.

Background:

Physical inactivity constitutes a public-health challenge in Denmark. Social prescribing may be a promising tool to tackle physical inactivity by linking physical activity support from general practitioners with community-based activities in sports clubs, as this may help physically inactive citizens become more physically active. Given the range of stakeholders and behaviours required for social prescribing of physical activity, an intervention that harnesses this approach may constitute a complex intervention. The methods and decisions made in the stages of developing complex interventions are seldom reported. The present study enabled us to describe how co-creation can be used in a pragmatic development process for a complex intervention that considers the needs of stakeholders and the conditions of the delivery context.

Methods:

The study is based on the core elements of the development and feasibility phases of the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions. Additionally, it is informed by a framework for the co-creation and prototyping of public-health interventions, drawing from a scoping review, stakeholder consultations and co-creation workshops. Ultimately, a feasibility study will be conducted to refine the programme theory by introducing the proposed intervention in case studies.

Perspectives:

The study will result in a prototype intervention manual and recommendations for implementation of an adapted social-prescribing intervention targeting physical inactivity in Denmark.