Prescribing parkrun: a simple, cost-effective solution for sustainability, improving wellbeing, reducing loneliness, and disease prevention

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours have profound influences on risks of illness and life expectancy.1 Increasing physical activity improves surrogate markers of health and lowers the incidence of long-term conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health disorders.2 Importantly, performing outdoor sports and physical activities may also bear social and psychological benefits, across genders and different age groups.3 Promotion of physical activity for wellbeing and disease prevention, through population-based interventions has been prioritized by international health organizations and societies.4 Currently, there is a widely accepted and evidence-driven consensus on the recommendation for physical activity for health benefits across different guidelines on the prevention of cardiovascular disease.5 Most propose a minimum of 150 min of moderate aerobic activity or 75 min of vigorous activity every week. Despite a similarly widespread acknowledgment among the public that physical activity provides numerous health benefits, many adults and children do not achieve these minimum recommended levels.6