Background
Since WHI began, local schemes have been encouraged to collect data on participants and keep registers of attendance. Most schemes have recorded this information in local databases and used it to evaluate their work and to show funders how they are meeting targets for encouraging physical activity.

As the need for such physical activity becomes increasingly evident, WHI is aware that:

• the burden on the NHS of physical inactivity continues to grow;
  
• health inequalities continue to be a serious issue;
  
• health walks can help to address these problems and save the NHS money.

However, to prove this, WHI needs to upgrade its data so that policy makers, funders, health professionals and public alike know exactly what we offer and what we are achieving.

New evaluation scheme
This new scheme is designed to highlight WHI's achievements through the collection of robust data that has been gathered systematically, in a standardised way, at local, regional and national level.

From November 2007 onwards the data will be collected, on an individual basis, from all new walkers on all health walk schemes.

Outdoor Health Questionnaire
The main tool of the new evaluation is a simple 2-sided form which combines the health walk screening questionnaire and contact details form with a few data collection questions. Each walker simply has to fill in this one straightforward form - entitled the Outdoor Health Questionnaire or OHQ - at the start of their first walk.
Please find a link to this form at the bottom of the page along with completion guidance notes.

Data collected
The data collection questions enable WHI to gain a local and national picture of who is taking part in health walks. Walkers are asked for their postcode, age range, gender, ethnic background and particular health conditions.

A supplementary question will ask people how physically active they are at the point of joining a health walk. This has the potential to form a very important part of the national evaluation and could also be asked again, after a period of time, to establish how physical activity levels have changed.

WHI has been working with partners - notably the British Heart Foundation, Sport England and BTCV - in consultation with NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) to develop this new evaluation system. The process will be fully compliant with the Data Protection Act and the data will not be traceable to individuals, only an identifying number. All the necessary data protection systems will be incorporated into this process so that the data can be used by local schemes as well as by WHI at a national level.

Outdoor Health Questionnaire

Outdoor Health Questionnaire Guidance Leaflet

Request for access to Natural England WHI database

Request for mail merge facility access for WHI database

Data Protection Help Note

Natural England WHI Database FAQ

Accessing the database

Q: How can I become registered to access the database?
A: The person who needs an ID and password fills in the form ‘WHI1’ to request permission for access (it can be downloaded from the Learning Network, linked from the WHI website). They email this form to their Natural England Regional Case Officer who approves it and forwards it to the Database Manager. The ID and password will arrive by email.

Q: How many people from each scheme can post entries?
A: We recommend that a small number of walk leaders from each scheme (will vary depending on the size of the scheme, but in many cases, just one or two) are nominated ‘data volunteers’. These data volunteers, along with the scheme coordinator will be able to input data.

Q: What happens if I leave?
The user ID and password must be cancelled. Please fill in the form ‘WHI1’ to request deletion from the database and forward it to your Natural England Regional Case Officer. If users have not logged onto the system for 3 months, their ID will be cancelled.

Q: Is it complicated?
A: No. The database is straightforward to use and contains on line guidance. If you have technical problems, please contact your Regional Case Officer in the first instance.

Q: Can I just get one ID and password and share it amongst a group of us?
A: No. It is important that you keep your password safe and do not disclose to others. The permissions form details your responsibilities in accepting a user ID and password for the database:

• You are responsible for restricting access to your computer to prevent unauthorised access to your account.
  
• You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your username or password.
  
• You should take all necessary steps to ensure that your password is kept confidential and secure and should inform us immediately if you have reason to believe that your password has become known to anyone else, or if the password is being, or is likely to be, used in an unauthorised manner.
  
• You are responsible for telling the Natural England Regional Case Officer if you no longer require access to the database.

Q: Will I get training?
A: Your Regional Case Officer will arrange for you to have a demonstration of the database and the relevant training information.

Inputting data

Q: Who should put in entries?
A: In most cases this will be either the nominated walk leaders who are ‘data volunteers’ or the Scheme Coordinator.

Q: Who do I ask if I have a problem?
A: Please contact your Regional Case Officer in the first instance.

Q: What if I don’t have IT access?
A: If no-one in your scheme has IT access, please contact your Regional Case Officer for further guidance.

Q: My walk leaders all want to post their own entries
A: We recommend a small number of walk leaders, or the Scheme Coordinator inputs data. The Scheme Coordinator will agree what is reasonable for each scheme, with guidance from the Natural England Regional Case Officer if needed.

Q: How often do we post our data?
A: After each walk ideally, but it can be posted weekly or at other intervals if necessary.

Q: Can we use the database to store our own data?
A: The database has been developed specifically to input data from the OHQ, so additional information cannot be added.

Q: Can we do mail merges?
A: The mail merge function is being trialled and we will update the Natural England Case Officers once the details are finalised.

Q: Will this create a lot of extra work for me as a coordinator?
A: No, after the initial set up of the Scheme and walk, it only takes a minute or two to input a form for a new walker. The walk register is very quick to fill in. We hope you feel the benefits of being able to get statistics and reports about your walk from the database.

Q: What will happen to my current system?
A: In some cases, Schemes are continuing their own database for various reasons – that is up to the individual scheme.

Q: We’ve been using the new OHQ for a few months now and have amassed more than 100 forms. I haven’t got time or resources to input them all.
A: Please contact your Regional Case Officer for advice.

Q: Using age ranges means that the data will go out of date
A: We have included age brackets instead of date of birth as we know from previous research methods that people are more likely to tick an age bracket box than give their actual date of birth. We appreciate that if these forms are not completed every year this information may be slightly out of date, but in such a large sample, we will still be able to see trends in ages of participants which will be accurate enough for our purposes.

Q: What happens if a walker dies?
A: Please mark on the database that the person is deceased (see online instructions for details).

Data security

Q: Is our data secure?
A: Safety of individual data has been a fundamental requirement in the development of the database. The security of the database is already in place as it is adapted from one used and hosted by BTCV - no problems have occurred since it has been in use over the last four years.

There are a number of security elements built in to the way the data is held and accessed. Only the Scheme Coordinator and nominated walk leaders can access personal details and these cannot be downloaded onto a CD or printout. Natural England staff do not have access to personal details of any individuals, only to anonymous reports of amalgamated data.

The server that holds the data is housed in a bomb-proof bunker in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Access to this data centre is of the highest security in the UK.

Q: Who will have access to our data?
A: Only the Scheme Coordinator and nominated walk leaders have access to any personal details.

Q: How long will the data be kept?
A: The data is kept within the system indefinitely. However, for the purposes of using/amending/viewing the data, an individual's data stays accessible on the database as long as they are continuing to walk (being ticked on walk registers). If after 12 months, they have not done any walks, they will be automatically be made ‘inactive’ and not appear on walk registers.

Q: We don’t have a Coordinator what should we do?
A: Please discuss with your Regional Case Officer.

Q: No one from our scheme wants the responsibility of posting data what should we do?
A: Please discuss with your Regional Case Officer.

Q: How is the register information and the information from the OHQ linked?
A: The database is set up with the Scheme, and the walks in that Scheme. When a new OHQ is input to the system, you will assign that person to their usual walk or walks. Then in future, when walk registers are completed, a list of names will appear and these can be ticked off against the date they attended.

Q: What happens if a walker attends walks in different schemes?
A. When the OHQ is input for a walker, the database has a section which lists all the Schemes that have been input into that Local authority area and a list of the walks associated with each Scheme. The Schemes and relevant walks should be ticked for the person so that a record exists for that person. When the ‘add new walk report’ is run and the Scheme and walk selected, the person will appear in a list with a tick box to record their attendance on the walk. This will apply to any Scheme and walk that the walker has been assigned to. This can also be added later by using the ‘view new walkers menu’ and choosing ‘edit’, to add more details of walks in other Schemes.

If the walker walks in other Schemes that are not part of the Local Authority area they normally walk in then more walkers be selected on the walk register – either those for the area or the whole region.

Q: What if a walker on holiday in the area joins our walk?
A: Simply note on the walk register that you had an extra walker who is on holiday in the area.

Reports

Q: What will happen to the data once it is posted, will we get reports on the results?
A: Scheme Coordinators will be able to take reports off the system about their walks and scheme.

Q: Will we get the results of the evaluation?
A: Where publications using the data are produced, these will be available on the WHI website and the Learning Network.