The Physical Activity Environment Policy Index for monitoring government policies and actions to improve physical activity - Publication - Bridge of Knowledge

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The Physical Activity Environment Policy Index for monitoring government policies and actions to improve physical activity

Abstract

Background A multifaceted response, including government action, is essential to improve population levels of physical activity (PA). This article describes the development process of the ‘Physical Activity Environment Policy Index’ (PA-EPI) monitoring framework, a tool to assess government policies and actions for creating a healthy PA environment. Methods An iterative process was undertaken. This involved a review of policy documents from authoritative organizations, a PA policy audit of four European countries, and a systematic review of scientific literature. This was followed by an online consultation with academic experts (N = 101; 20 countries, 72% response rate), and policymakers (N = 40, 4 EU countries). During this process, consensus workshops were conducted, where quantitative and qualitative data, alongside theoretical and pragmatic considerations, were used to inform PA-EPI development. Results The PA-EPI is conceptualized as a two-component ‘policy’ and ‘infrastructure support’ framework. The two-components comprise eight policy and seven infrastructure support domains. The policy domains are education, transport, urban design, healthcare, public education (including mass media), sport-for-all, workplaces and community. The infrastructure support domains are leadership, governance, monitoring and intelligence, funding and resources, platforms for interaction, workforce development and health-in-all-policies. Forty-five ‘good practice statements’ or indicators of ideal good practice within each domain conclude the PA-EPI. A potential eight-step process for conducting the PA-EPI is described. Conclusions Once pre-tested and piloted in several countries of various sizes and income levels, the PA-EPI good practice statements will evolve into benchmarks established by governments at the forefront of creating and implementing policies to address inactivity.

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Authors (10)

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Details

Category:
Articles
Type:
artykuły w czasopismach
Published in:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH no. 32, pages 50 - 58,
ISSN: 1101-1262
Language:
English
Publication year:
2022
Bibliographic description:
Woods C. B., Kelly L., Volf K., Gelius P., Messing S., Forberger S., Lakerveld J., Den Braver N. R., Żukowska J., García Bengoechea E.: The Physical Activity Environment Policy Index for monitoring government policies and actions to improve physical activity// EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH -,iss. 32/4 (2022), s.50-58
DOI:
Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1093/eurpub/ckac062
Sources of funding:
Verified by:
Gdańsk University of Technology

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