At the Play the Game 2022 conference in Odense Denmark, Bastien presented her research and the potential for a community sport-led Covid recovery.
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken many lives, disrupted healthcare, community sport and the way we live. The loss of sponsors, climate change and the inflationary pressures driven by global conflict, have made recovery challenging for many.
Well before this virus, global healthcare was straining under the burden of lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, breast cancer, obesity and colorectal cancer. The pandemic disrupted cancer and diabetes screening, oncology treatment, post-operative and stroke rehabilitation for cardiovascular patients, weight management care and the ability of many to stay physically active.
Covid-19 also added to the lifestyle disease burden. Survivors are at greater risk of stroke (52%), heart attack (63%), heart failure (72%), and developing Type 2 Diabetes (40%). The great news is that the research shows community sport-based interventions work, can offer health improvement that compliments ‘as usual’ care, and are more affordable and accessible for participants.
The opportunity
Paying sports clubs to run more of these interventions could save governments a lot of money, save lives, help people improve their health and provide a new revenue stream for sport that isn’t dependent on sponsors. “Sport Health Tech as been created to put the Sport Prescriptions app in the hands of people who develop and lead these interventions,” said Sport Health Tech CEO, Bastien Wallace.
“Our technology aims to make the work easier, to assist with growth, and to enable researchers and physicians to learn so they can improve disease treatment for everyone,” said Bastien. Sports Prescriptions can help community sport clubs and leaders increase the number of interventions to address lifestyle disease, accelerating Covid recovery and improving community health.
