Health Exercise and Activity Therapy EMA Interventions CIC

Website: http://heat-health.com/

The HEAT is a non-for profit community investment company that is focusing heavily in sport and health. HEAT’s focus is to provide evidence-based and tailored lifestyle interventions for healthy, disabled as well as populations with chronic conditions and diseases, promoting sport and physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors. HEAT’s approach is based on state-of-the-art research provided by the most recent guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Birmingham, where HEAT acts, is the second largest city in England and has a population of 200,000 people with a disability. Despite this, 76% of disabled people living in Birmingham do not take part in ANY sport or physical activity at all; this figure is significantly higher than the national average. HEAT therefore, has developed a novel manual, the “Sport as Medicine” which helps build the capacity of front line implementers (healthcare providers, exercise professionals) for integrating different sport for health improvement. This is strongly supported by Public Health and local authorities, recognizing HEAT as a leading organization in the area of sport and health. HEAT staff are sitting on the Public Health meetings as an advisory Organization, and HEAT currently is actively working with many different disability population, including people that are Deaf, Dwarfs, as well as those who have Learning Disabilities.

The senior members of HEAT are high profile academics, clinicians and governmental scientists that support HEATs mission with genuine care for the individual and the community as well as providing a wealth of knowledge and expertise on fields such as medicine, sport, disability, clinical exercise physiology, behavioral and health psychology, education, physical activity and health as well as biostatistics. HEAT members have extensive experience in sport/physical activity for health in disability and patients with non-communicable diseases, evident by: a) an extensive number of publications in this field in many different non-communicable disease b) research excellence peer reviewed publication ranging from randomized controlled trials to meta-analyses to different high impact scientific Journal including the Cochrane Library. Research work led by the HEAT staff members has helped the development of new position statements – such as in the British Heart Foundation, World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – and new clinical guidelines for incorporating physical activity in the management of chronic disease – such as the American Cancer Society, the Scottish NHS as well as the European League Against Rheumatism.

Up to 5 Relevant Projects / Activities / Initiatives

Sport-as-Medicine is an initiative, funded by “Awards for All” Big Lottery Fund which aligns with national (Public Health England) and international (World Health Organization) for promoting sport and physical activity for health. The projects is based on the development of a manual for physical activity professionals in order to build their capacity and empower them to deliver safe and effective sport-based activities (10 different sports). The manual has been supported by Public Health and local authorities and championed by a Birmingham Chancellor.

The “Reaching Communities” project is a project that aims to test the efficacy of using sport for engaging patients with chronic disease and disability. The project aims to build the capacity of frontline healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses) as well as exercise professionals, in order to establish a referral scheme (between doctors and sports clubs) where patients and disabled individuals use sport to increase their physical activity levels.

“Public Health Recognition Mark” is a project where HEAT and Public Health Birmingham partner together to assess the readiness and quality of intervention delivery of third sector organizations on the whole of Birmingham. The project focuses on the 10 most important issues that concern the health of people in Birmingham, including physical inactivity, disability and obesity.

Up to 5 relevant publications, and/or products, services

1. Sport – as – Medicine Manual: A guide for utilising Sport in non-communicable diseases. Online address: http://heat-health.com/MANUAL.pdf
2. Metsios GS, Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou A, Kitas GD (2015). The role of exercise in the management of rheumatoid arthrhtis. Invited Review. Clinical Immunology. 17:1-10
3. Metsios GS, Lemmey A, (2015). Exercise as medicine in rheumatoid arthritis: effects on function, body composition and cardiovascular disease risk. Invited Review. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology (ACSM). 4(1):14-22
4. Lahart IM, Metsios GS, Nevill AM, Carmichael AR. (2016). Physical activity for women with breast cancer after adjuvant therapy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Cochrane Collaboration, in press.
5. Lahart IM, Metsios GS, Nevill AM, Carmichael AR. (2015). Physical activity, risk of death and recurrence in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Acta Oncol;54(5):635-54

Infrastructure and Technical Equipment

The HEAT has a number of collaborations that will be utilized as part of the project. In particular, HEAT will work closely with Public Health and disability third sector organizations to enhance the recruitment and promotion of the Erasmus research projects. HEAT also has the capacity to efficiently manage the suggested Work Packages related to the project

Expected Benefits

The HEAT will be befitted by a number of the activities that will be carried out as part of the project. Identified benefits are as follows:

• Stimulation of new research ideas and studies that will enhance the research base of the Organization.
• Participation in international conferences and other research and business events that will facilitate networking and outreach activities for our research teams.
• Development of new material for wider promoting of health through sport and physical activity in disabled and diseased populations.

Offering of the platform’s services and technologies through existing, and potentially new, spin-off enterprises.

Key Personnel’s CVs

Prof George Metsios: He is currently the Chairman of HEAT, a Professor in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of Wolverhampton and a leading researcher in Action Heart, the largest cardiac rehabilitation centre in the UK as well as in the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, a group consisted of five Hospitals. Prof Metsios research evolves around the use of exercise and physical activity as medicine in individuals with disabilities and patients with different non-communicable diseases, including patients with cardiovascular disease and cancer. He has extensive experience in delivering on time outcomes from research projects and has published more than 150 scientific publications while his work has had substantial impact in the development of new guidelines and practise incorporating physical activity and exercise within clinical practise. His work has substantial impact including help formation of position statement and clinical guidelines from the British Heart Foundation, The European League Against Rheumatism and the World Health Organisation.

Dr Ian Lahart: Dr Lahart is a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology a committee member of HEAT (third sector company specializing in Sports in diseased populations) and the course leader for BSc Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Wolverhampton. Ian completed his PhD on physical activity and breast cancer in 2014. He has a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals with high impact factors in the area of exercise and chronic disease, and has presented his work at a number of research conferences, including the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science, American College of Sports Medicine and Physiology Society annual conferences. He is currently working on a Cochrane Collaboration Systematic Review on exercise and breast cancer. Through his role as a research fellow at Russells Hall hospital, Dudley, he works with cardiovascular disease, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis patients. He was involved in the setting up of and helps manage a MacMillan funded exercise-based cancer rehabilitation service in Action Heart, a cardiac rehabilitation centre in Russells Hall Hospital. Ian provides exercise testing and sports science support to athletes, including runners, triathletes and cyclists, and has previously provided physiological testing for Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Walsall Town FC. On a personal level, Ian is a competing triathlete, and a member of Birmingham Athletics and Triathlon (BRAT) club. He has previously played Gaelic football, soccer and boxed for a number of years

Mr Pritesh Pattni: Mr Pattni is a leading board member of HEAT as well as a CEO of The Bidgley Power Foundation a charity working with young and disabled People through mediums such as sport and educational mentoring. The organisation has 24 sports coaches and deliverers programs to over 400 people per week in Birmingham. Mr Pattni is leading some of the largest disabled sports tournaments in the country working with many partners including Special Olympics Uk, English federation for Disability sport, Badminton England Para Badminton and Birmingham Disability sports forum. He has a strong research background completing is an MSc at Wolverhampton University in medical engineering applications followed by PhD by research at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham. Mr Pattni is an Ugandan refugee with a passion for community development through sport who has been involved in the voluntary and community sector for the past 28 years. He is also a badminton coach, trained youth mentor. He has also carried the Olympic torch in 2012 as well as the Queens Baton in the 2014 commonwealth games and recently received the point of light award for volunteering from the Prime minister David Cameron in 2015. He is also a trustee of many other organizations including Aston Villa Football club, Community Sport activation network working with over 125 clubs with a particular expertise in business development, governance and volunteer development.