Step up to the challenge – and help heart research
16 Oct 2017
University researchers get data from new campaign to get people across the North moving
The University’s Connected Health Cities (CHC) programme and Nokia have launched CityMoves, an eight-week step challenge taking place from Monday, 23 October to Thursday, 21 December.
The challenge promotes healthy living and is an opportunity for citizens across Greater Manchester to help advance science’s understanding of how low-intensity exercise improves heart health.
Participants will be able to track their steps through the Nokia Health Mate app that also allows users to measure their pulse rate using their smartphones camera.
The project will be delivered across four city regions including Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Liverpool and the North West Coast and Newcastle and the North East. Each region will be able to see how the amount of steps they have taken over the period – and compare it to the others.
As well as daily updates on the dedicated website, each week users will get personalised feedback with information about their progress and how they compare to others from across the North.
Throughout the eight weeks of the challenge CHC and Nokia will keep people motivated with motivational content, seasonal tips to get moving more, hundreds of fitness tracker give-aways and awareness messages on how to keep your heart healthy.
Afterwards, de-personalised data will be sent to CHC where data scientists will look for changes in heart rate across the study period.
Connected Health Cities (CHCs) safely and securely combines population data and technology to address chronic disease burdens and reduce early mortality across the North of England.
Professor John Ainsworth, Director of CHC, said: “More effective use of data and technology has great potential to deliver health benefits for all of us. The CityMoves study is a great example for people to see the positive impact that their data can have.
“In CityMoves study we aim to develop a better understanding of the relationship between increased physical exercise and resting heart rate, a key indicator of health.”
Join up
To join up, register at: