One of the aims of Wellingborough's Waendel Leisure Centre is to give town GPs the extra option for treating overweight patients.
It is also hoped GP referrals will help increase user numbers at the centre after it missed visitor targets in the pa
st year.
Redwell Leisure Centre duty manager Andrea Francis said a similar scheme there had "positive, life-changing" impacts in the community.
She said: "I can't praise it enough for the results it's had. People have gone to the doctors because they may have been struggling with their joints or have high cholesterol and have seen a real improvement.
"We've had such positive comments from people."
Ms Francis believes community and leisure centres in the town have been affected by the rise of commercial gyms in the area.
She said: "It used to be that your sports centre was the place to go, but now you've got a lot more private health clubs."
Even though leisure centres are often cheaper than private sector alternatives, Ms Francis says they can offer some facilities, such as saunas, which leisure centres may not.
Both Redwell and Waendel leisure centres unable to meet visitor targets in the last 12 months.
The two sites were visited 217,717 times between June 2007 and March 2008, which was more than 100,000 less than expected.
Waendel Leisure Centre was set a target of 285,431 but recorded 194,831 visits, whereas Redwell Leisure Centre clocked up 85,514 visits – 39,108 below target.
Now staff at the two centres are trying to win people back.
Teams at Redwell, in Barnwell Road, are training colleagues at the Waendel centre to implement a GP referral scheme. Ms Francis said 87 per cent of those referred stick to the programme.
Sure Start centres and schools are increasingly using the centres and more sports clubs have been started.
Ms Francis said: "We care about people and people in the community are welcome here."
The visitor figures at both leisure centres and their plans will be discussed at a meeting of Wellingborough Council on Monday.
