Citizens across the North invited to get moving and help heart research in UK digital health first

Health Innovation North West Coast has teamed up with Connected Health Cities and Nokia to organise an eight-week step challenge across the North from 23 October to 21 December 2017

Nokia and the Connected Health Cities (CHC) programme have launched CityMoves, an eight-week step challenge taking place .

The challenge promotes healthy living and the positive use of data and technology in health and research and is an opportunity for citizens in the North West Coast 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 Connected Health Cities four city regions including Liverpool and the North West Coast, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, and Newcastle and the North East. Each region will be able to see how the amount of steps they have taken over the period compares 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.

After the eight week period de-personalised data will be sent to The University of Manchester’s Connected Health Cities programme where data scientists will look for changes in heart rate across the study period. 

Prof John Ainsworth, Director of Connected Health Cities 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 the 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.”

To join the pogramme participants can register at nokia.ly/citymoves, choose their team and begin measuring their steps and watch as they rise up their team's leader board.