External Stakeholder Engagement With State Government Physical Activity Strategies: A Qualitative Exploration

Despite substantial investment in government-funded physical activity initiatives, there is limited evidence on how external stakeholders are engaged in their development and implementation. Gathering stakeholder feedback is often challenging, particularly without established mechanisms for ongoing evaluation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how external stakeholders interacted with a government-funded population-based physical activity portfolio of initiatives in South Australia and examine key factors influencing its implementation, including challenges and opportunities to optimise future implementation.

In-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 18) were conducted with stakeholders working at relevant agencies in South Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically to identify key themes related to stakeholder interaction and implementation insights.

Four key themes were identified related to: (1) awareness and engagement, (2) benefits and challenges to participation, (3) benefits and challenges to organisational partnerships, and (4) opportunities to enhance implementation. Funding, networking, and communication significantly influenced the promotion and engagement of the initiatives. Expanding funding and improving decision-making were identified as opportunities to improve the implementation of future initiatives, with stakeholders emphasising transparency and the importance of monitoring and evaluation.

This study highlights the crucial role of external stakeholders and the need for more funding and effective communication to enhance engagement in state government physical activity initiatives. SO WHAT?: These findings provide policymakers with insights into stakeholder relationships and emphasise the importance of strengthening collaborative approaches to enhance stakeholder contributions to government-led physical activity initiatives.