Supporting heart health - health improvement offer for men with cardiovascular disease

Based on feedback from residents and stakeholders, Healthwatch Tower Hamlets decided to focus one of its research projects for the financial year of 2024-25 on the Health Improvement Offer for Men with Long-term Conditions Management in Tower Hamlets, focussing on managing cardiovascular disease.  They collected feedback from 32 people, including 2 women.

When asked about the main barriers to accessing support, many respondents said they do not have information available about programmes and activities available. In relation to stopping smoking, the respondents said that they had quit by going “cold turkey”, suggesting there is a lack of awareness of stop smoking services. It was also mentioned that a lot of the information exists online and is therefore not accessible for older people, as they often do not have the skills or the desire to access information digitally. Therefore, more targeted, widely shared advertising campaigns are needed to help raise awareness of the support available. In addition, services such as Be Well and Tower Hamlets Connect should attend health events, mosques, and other community settings to promote their services to wider audiences.

Although many helpful programmes and activities to support physical activity already exist and are accessed by the respondents, we found that for people with complex needs, including mobility issues and health conditions, the choice of exercise is very limited. They often rely on going for a walk or doing house chores to remain physically active. In addition, when asked about barriers to accessing support programmes and activities, many respondents mentioned not having found a programme or activity that is suitable for them. It was suggested that exercise should be presented in a more enjoyable way, for example, as a game that gets people moving. Therefore, more varied, fun opportunities accessible for all communities, including those with physical limitations, should be planned and implemented. These activities could include, for example, chair-based exercises, gardening, walking groups, swimming and other low-impact exercises.

The feedback was somewhat indifferent when we asked respondents what they were doing to lose weight. The respondents mentioned trying to lose weight, being told to lose weight, or that they were “not much overweight”. This suggests that the respondents do not have a structured weight loss plan to follow and motivate them, or do not see it as important if they need to lose smaller amounts of weight. Therefore, more practical support alongside conversations about healthy eating and physical activity should be offered to those who are overweight to help prevent the development of further health conditions such as diabetes. This can be done by providing support with creating diet and activity plans to encourage people to adapt them into their daily routine, setting achievable goals, and leading to a more sustainable weight loss.