Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2025
Four Temporary Waterslide Designs Adapted to Different Slope Conditions to Encourage Child Socialization in Playgrounds
Published on: December 9, 2022
What Policies Do Local Governments Use to Promote Physical Activity? A Comparative Analysis of Municipalities From 4
Sven Messing1,2, Antoine Noël Racine3, Noriko Takeda4
1Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
01:25Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
01:26Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:30Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...