What Policies Do Local Governments Use to Promote Physical Activity? A Comparative Analysis of Municipalities From 4 EU Countries and Japan
نویسندگان
1 Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, Health Research Institute, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
2 Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France
3 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
4 Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
5 Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France
6 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
7 Institute of Sport Sciences, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
8 Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
9 Center for Promotion of Higher Education, Kogakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
10 Adults on the Move Program, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland
11 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
12 Sports Medicine Research Center, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan
13 Faculty of Sport Management, Nippon Sport Science University, Yokohama, Japan
14 Independent Researcher, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
15 Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France
doi
10.34172/ijhpm.8594چکیده
Background As public policies have the potential to change the entire system of physical activity (PA) promotion and to create conducive environments, they are particularly relevant to address the persistently low levels of PA across the world. Furthermore, World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity highlights the relevance of local governments as important partners for policy action. However, our knowledge on how local PA promotion policy compares across countries remains limited. Methods We conducted an exploratory study as part of the LoGoPAS project to compare the status quo of local PA policies across five municipalities in five different countries. Using purposive sampling, Jyväskylä (Finland), Nice (France), Erlangen (Germany), Fujisawa (Japan), and Cluj-Napoca (Romania) were selected. Data were collected and analysed via desk research and expert consultation using the CAPLA-Santé, a validated tool designed to assess relevant aspects of local PA promotion policies. Results The analysis showed that the main responsibility for PA promotion varied between municipalities, resting either with the sport or the health sector. A total of 50 relevant PA policy documents were identified, focusing on multiple settings and target groups. Budgets for PA promotion differed across municipalities. Research on PA was reported to have informed policy development in some but not all cases. Across countries, political support was identified as a key driver of local PA promotion. Conclusion LoGoPAS is the first study to apply the CAPLA-Santé outside of France and the first to use it for an international comparative analysis. Results highlight the ability of the tool to provide insights into local PA policy development, contents, and implementation worldwide. While this study provided a cross-sectional in-depth analysis of the status quo in select municipalities, future research could also aim to assess policies at a large scale, ie, for multiple municipalities and/or on a regular basis.
