Policy approaches to physical activity promotion

This project aims to facilitate the distribution of information on national – and more recently also sub-national – approaches to physical activity promotion, including interministerial and intersectoral approaches and the challenges to overcome in their development and implementation.

A working group co-led by Ms Karen Milton, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom and Mr Petru Sandu, University Babes-Bolyai, Romania, is developing tools for and collecting case studies on the development, content, implementation and evaluation of national physical activity policies in European countries.

A key product is a tool for auditing policies on health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA). The policy audit tool (PAT) helps interested national agencies, institutes or other relevant groups promoting physical activity to assess within their own country the scope for policy actions to promote HEPA. It was piloted in 7 countries and since been applied in 10 countries of the European and 12 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

More information on the development of the tool can be found in the scientific publication “National policy on physical activity: the development of a policy audit tool”, and the technical report presenting results, conclusions and lessons learned. See the links below to access these publications.

As part of the Erasmus+ project EPHEPA (European Collaborative Partnership on Sport and Health Enhancing Physical Activity), version 2 of the PAT has been applied in 6 European countries, and a new dissemination template has been developed. These products are also available through the links below.

Most recently, a scoping review has been carried out on the role of sub-national governments in the promotion of HEPA. Further work is foreseen by the sub-working group.

To join this activity, please contact HEPA Europe at hepaeurope@who.int