HEPA Steiermark: Standardised Regional Sport-club Based Exercise Programmes

Background: More than 10% of the adult population in Styria, a federal state in the south of Austria, is allotted to a stationary stay at a health resort each year. In practice approximately 50.000 adults receive these stays that are financed from the health insurance companies and that last up to 3 weeks. The target group for theses stays is the general population aged between 30 and 65 years that shows minor health deficits like back pain or risk factors for cardio-metabolic diseases. The treatment during the stays consists of exercise, nutritional and psychological interventions. Thus the increase of physical activity is an important goal that is focussed during the stationary stay. Because of the absence of regional facilities that are linked to the resorts and that provide accesses to standardised regional programmes sustainability is questionable.

Methods/Design: This prospective controlled open label study compares two study groups. After a stationary stay at a health resort patient are allocated to a standardised, regional sports-club based exercise programme or to another group, where only written hand-outs are provided. The primary outcome is the weekly level of health enhancing physical activity which is objectively measured with an accelerometer and an activity log-book. Additionally, social determinants are requested, fitness and anthropometric measurements are done at baseline until 12 months. Beside the changes in measurable parameters, processes are evaluated accurately. Consequently the gateway - function of the health resort is analysed.

Discussion: The structured cooperation between the health sector, where health resorts informing and assigning patients to regional sports-clubs and the sports sector potentially provides a wide network of standardised programmes. Within this study we aim to evaluate the sustainability of stationary stays and a continuing regional standardised exercise programme.