Sports4All Innovation

Our innovative project, Wellness UnLAOISed, developed in partnership with EduFit has been chosen by Sport Innovators Netherlands as one of the top 4 projects from Ireland to be part of the Sports4All Innovation program!

This September, we hope to be heading to Paris for the Sports4All Innovation Summit, where projects from all over Europe will be showcased. We’re looking forward to collaborating with other innovators and exploring funding opportunities to take our project to the next level!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Wellness unLAOISed is a 12-week online evidence-based multimodal exercise, nutrition and health education programme designed specifically for adults who are socially, educationally or economically disadvantaged. The programme content and purpose-built app was co-created with our target group and piloted with 72 participants in county Laois, Ireland in 2022. The purpose of Wellness unLAOISed is to increase physical activity participation, health literacy, physical health, mental health and wellbeing.

This project was a collaboration between Laois Sports Partnership, government organisations, industry (EduFIT – team of clincial exercise physiologists, nutritionists, health researchers, fitness instructors, strength and conditioning specialists), numerous stakeholders and our target group. Together we developed an app and bespoke exercise and lifestyle medicine programme that is inclusive of adults of all ages, functional ability and clinical conditions who tend to have fewer opportunities and less access to these types of programmes.

The analysis of the participants pre and post programme tests confirmed increased upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, balance, flexibility, physical activity participation, wellbeing and self-efficacy to maintain these health behaviours in the long term. This has significant implications for health in this target group. The programme can easily be adapted for different adult population groups.