Evidence

2019 exceptional surveillance of physical activity: walking and cycling (NICE guideline PH41)

Overview of 2019 surveillance methods

Overview of 2019 surveillance methods

NICE's surveillance team checked whether recommendations in physical activity: walking and cycling (NICE guideline PH41) remain up to date. The 2019 surveillance followed the exceptional review process, consisting of:

  • Feedback from topic experts on the content of the review.

  • Consideration of evidence from previous surveillance.

  • Examining related NICE guidance and quality standards and NIHR signals.

  • Examining the NICE event tracker for relevant ongoing and published events.

For further details about the process and the possible update decisions that are available, see ensuring that published guidelines are current and accurate in developing NICE guidelines: the manual.

Evidence considered in surveillance

Previous surveillance

In the previous surveillance review, which was published in 2016, NICE noted that a relevant study was due to publish on Interventions to promote or maintain physical activity during and after the transition to retirement: evidence synthesis to inform recommendations for policy and practice (Baxter et al. 2016). This has now published and the results show that providing pedometers could be effective but that they did not produce superior results to behaviour change advice only. The results supported the effectiveness of home-based interventions delivered via telephone, internet or post including pedometers in increasing physical activity.

A number of studies involving pedometers were considered during the previous surveillance review in 2016 and 7 randomised controlled trials supported the recommendation that pedometers alongside goal setting can increase physical activity.

Related NICE guidance

NICE's guideline on dementia, disability and frailty in later life – mid-life approaches to delay or prevent onset is relevant to this study as it involves increasing physical activity in older adults. This guideline is currently being reviewed and this evidence will be considered as part of that review.

Intelligence gathered during surveillance

Views of topic experts

We considered the views of topic experts, including those who helped to develop the guideline. For this surveillance review, topic experts were asked about their thoughts around the paper and were asked to review this document. We received 3 responses and all confirmed that they believed that these studies reinforced NICE's recommendations and did not alter the recommendation content.

Equalities

No equalities issues were identified during the surveillance process.

Editorial amendments

During surveillance of the guideline, we identified the following points in the guideline that should be amended.

Short version of NICE guideline

  • The link to the Department for Transport's Manual for Streets in recommendation 3 is broken and should be updated.

  • The link to the National Obesity Observatory evaluation tool in recommendation 3 is broken and should be updated.

  • The link to the Let's Get Moving physical activity care pathway in recommendation 10 is broken and should be updated.

  • The link to the National Obesity Observatory guide to evaluation in the second footnote is broken and should be updated.

Overall decision

After considering all evidence and other intelligence and the impact on current recommendations, we decided that no update is necessary.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-3033-3


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