Is there a role for Nordic walking in public health programs?

US News and World Report ran an article about something called value-based health care that is based on population health.

Main thing:

  • "As rising health costs strain communities and institutions, improving population health has become a focal point for health professionals who say simply treating patients in the doctor's office doesn't cut it anymore."
  • "A population health approach examines how medical care, genetics, individual behavior, public health interventions and social indicators such as education and employment all play a role in determining the health of a population. For population health directors, the patient is an entire community – not just those who make it to the doctor's office or emergency room."


Key points:

  • "The trifecta of population health – dubbed the "triple aim" by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement – is to improve quality of care and health outcomes for groups while lowering per-capita costs." 
  • "Such strategies are vital to improving health in communities with higher rates of chronic diseases and poverty and lower levels of health insurance coverage, particularly in areas where access to care is a challenge."
  • "...shifting the entire health industry to a population health-centric model is a long process."

If you've read previous blog posts, you should understand by now that Nordic walking is an effective exercise-based approach to managing your health. There is much evidence-based research to make that point. How might it be part of a solution for managing population health?

Nordic walking as a health intervention makes sense because population health involves more than medical facilities and professionals and includes a wider range of factors. For example, a team approach involving health care providers and other community groups opens the door to a more proactive mindset and acceptance of a non-traditional health care workforce.

The focus on populations also means health care needs to scale (existing resources able to serve a larger population). If you check around, you'll see that community leaders concerned about health will be open to solutions that help them scale. One way to do that is to introduce activities like Nordic walking so people can have a form of exercise that's straightforward and quickly learned. The personal and social benefits of Nordic walking have shown up in a number of research journals, making Nordic walking a sensible solution to proactive community health management.