The objectives of this study were to evaluate the reliability of wearable inertial motion unit (IMU) sensors in measuring spinal range of motion under supervised and unsupervised conditions in both laboratory and ambulatory settings. A secondary aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of composite IMU metrology scores (IMU-ASMI (Amb)). Forty people with axSpA participated in this clinical measurement study. Participant spinal mobility was assessed by conventional metrology (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, linear version—BASMI_Lin) and by a wireless IMU sensor-based system which measured lumbar flexion-extension, lateral flexion and rotation. Each sensor-based movement test was converted to a normalized index and used to calculate IMU-ASMI (Amb) scores. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). There was good to excellent agreement for all spinal range of movements (ICC > 0.85) and IMU-ASMI (Amb) scores (ICC > 0.87) across all conditions. Correlations between IMU-ASMI (Amb) scores and conventional metrology were strong (Pearson correlation ≥ 0.85). An IMU sensor-based system is a reliable way of measuring spinal lumbar mobility in axSpA under supervised and unsupervised conditions. While not a replacement for established clinical measures, composite IMU-ASMI (Amb) scores may be reliably used as a proxy measure of spinal mobility.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a major global issue affecting health. Promoting, supporting and encouraging physical activity amongst community-dwelling adults is essential. An intermediary is a clinical or non-clinical professional based in primary care, community or voluntary settings. They support individuals referred to them to connect with appropriate community services with the goal of improving health and wellbeing. This may be a promising method to establish a connection to local physical activity and exercise; however the process has been poorly described to date. Objective: The objectives of this scoping review will be to identify and summarise the literature describing the process of connecting community-dwelling adults to an intermediary, the characteristics of these adults, the processes (role, practice and procedure) of an intermediary in connecting these adults to local physical activity and exercise opportunities, and to map these processes of connection to outcomes. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the scoping review methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute. A comprehensive search strategy will identify relevant studies in Embase, Medline, Web of Science and CINAHL, along with a structured grey literature search. Studies which describe an intermediary connecting community-dwelling adults (aged ≥18 years) to local physical activity and exercise will be included. Data will be charted and narratively summarised. Intermediary processes will be mapped to outcomes related to physical activity, and the PAGER (patterns, advances, gaps, evidence for practice and research recommendations) framework will be used to identify evidence gaps and research recommendations. Conclusions: This scoping review will be the first to describe the process of an intermediary connecting community dwelling adults to local physical activity and exercise. This review will identify, map and summarise the existing research on the processes and outcomes. The results will also identify any evidence gaps and will guide future research.

National health services in Ireland and the UK fund the majority of social prescribing services and have issued recommendations for evaluation. However, it is not known what outcomes are prioritised for evaluation within individual services and what evaluation methods are used to capture recommended outcomes. A survey was carried out to examine evaluation practices of social prescribing services on the island of Ireland. This study used a cross-sectional observational design. The sample was all the staff involved in delivering and/or managing SP services on the island of Ireland. Questionnaires were distributed at a national SP conference and online. Closed-response questions were analysed using descriptive statistics. Content analysis was used for open-ended questions. Eighty-four usable surveys were returned (50% from the Republic of Ireland and 50% from Northern Ireland). All respondents (100%) agreed on the importance of measuring SP outcomes. The most frequently measured outcomes were health and well-being (89.2%) and loneliness (84%). The least frequently measured outcome was the satisfaction of healthcare professionals referring to SP: 78.4% of respondents never measured this outcome. The most frequently used measurement tool was the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, with 38/76 (50%) respondents using this measure. There was a lack of standardised measures identified for some outcomes. For example, 70% of respondents reported always measuring physical activity (PA), but only four respondents identified a specific PA measure. In open-ended questions, respondents recommended flexibility in evaluation methods to reflect the complexity and individualised focus of SP. They also identified the need for protected time to complete evaluations and recommended a national strategy to inform priorities in evaluations. This study demonstrates a wide variation on the island of Ireland on how SP services are measuring outcomes, with many outcomes rarely or never measured using standardised measures. Agreement is needed on a core outcome set for social prescribing in order to guide service delivery and evaluations.

Connecting inactive individuals to local physical activity (PA) and exercise, via intermediaries (professionals who can facilitate and support connections to non-medical services) may be an effective method to tackle physical inactivity. Evidence regarding the processes of intermediaries, the profile of people referred, how connections to local PA and exercise are made and outcomes of these connections is lacking. This scoping review followed guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Searches of four electronic databases (Embase, Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL) and an extensive grey literature search were conducted from inception to June 2022. Full-text studies which reported on community-dwelling adults (population), and the processes of intermediaries (concept) when connecting to local PA and exercise (context) were considered for inclusion. A logic model was created to map processes to outcomes. Evidence advances and gaps were identified. N = 28 studies were identified. Participants referred to an intermediary were older, female, and with poorer health. Where possible, the processes of referral, assessment, follow-up and discharge by intermediaries were described, as well as the local PA and exercise services used. Short-term PA outcomes appeared positive after working with intermediaries, but many studies were poorly described, and the review was not designed to examine effectiveness of this intervention. Many aspects of the processes were poorly described. More robust studies evaluating the processes of intermediaries are needed, as well as further exploration of the optimum processes in improving PA outcomes.

Introduction: Physical inactivity is a major global issue affecting health. Promoting, supporting and encouraging physical activity amongst community-dwelling adults is essential, especially in primary care services where the majority of healthcare contacts take place. An intermediary, a professional who supports individuals to connect with appropriate community and voluntary services with the goal of improving health and wellbeing, may be a promising method to establish a connection to local physical activity; however the process has been poorly described to date. Objective: The objective of this scoping review will be to identify and summarise the literature describing the process of connecting community-dwelling adults to an intermediary, the processes (role, practice and procedure) of an intermediary in connecting these adults to local physical activity and sport opportunities, and to map these processes of connection to outcomes. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the scoping review methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute. A comprehensive search strategy will identify relevant studies in Embase, Medline, Web of Science and CINAHL, along with a structured grey literature search. Studies which describe an intermediary connecting community-dwelling adults (aged ≥18 years) to a local physical activity and/or sport opportunity or other similar resource will be included. Data will be charted and narratively summarised. Intermediary processes will be mapped to outcomes related to physical activity, and the PAGER (patterns, advances, gaps, evidence for practice and research recommendations) framework will be used to identify evidence gaps and research recommendations. Conclusions: This scoping review will be the first to describe the process of an intermediary connecting community dwelling adults to local physical activity. This review will identify, map and summarise the existing research on the processes and outcomes. The results will also identify any evidence gaps and will guide future research.

Intermediaries facilitate connections to community-based services and supports, including physical activity and exercise groups, and are an emerging method to promote physical activity participation. However, their processes when establishing connections to community-based physical activities are unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the processes, practices, and procedures of Irish intermediaries when connecting people to community-based physical activity. This was a qualitative descriptive design study. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with n = 27 intermediaries from a variety of sectors—Health Promotion and Improvement [HPO], Local Sports Partnerships [LSO] and Social Prescribing [SP]. Four themes were identified using qualitative content analysis; 1) the processes of connecting to an intermediary, 2) connecting individuals to physical activity, 3) exiting from the intermediary service and 4) working in the local context. Intermediaries reported that they received referrals for individuals with physical, mental, and social health needs, but that referrals to improve physical activity specifically were low. They used a person-centred approach throughout their process, often addressing barriers to physical activity. However, only LSO and SP facilitated connections to physical activity, as HPO mainly focused on delivering smoking cessation support and services. Levels of support given and length of follow-up varied between LSO and SP, with the latter providing more intensive support. To facilitate their work, they developed extensive local knowledge and networks of partners, which enabled connections to a variety of community-based physical activities. Intermediaries may be an under-utilized resource to promote physical activity. Understanding the processes used in their interventions can inform future research, which is needed to investigate the effectiveness of intermediaries in improving physical activity levels and to inform future referral pathways.