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Public Policy Actions Needed to Promote Physical Activity

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Abstract

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and strategies to increase activity levels are as important to population health as smoking cessation, cholesterol control, or preventing obesity. The World Health Organization has identified that governments and non-government agencies have a central role in the creation of environments that facilitate physical activity changes by individuals, families, and communities. This article describes recent policy-related programs at a large-scale or national level to promote physical activity. This is proposed within a framework that codifies evidence-based policy actions, based on the International Physical Activity Recommendations. Examples are provided of current policy actions from diverse settings around the world. Finally, future policy directions needed for the promotion of physical activity are discussed and related research needs identified.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dr Tom Schmid, CDC Atlanta USA, for comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

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The authors report no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Bill Bellew

  2. Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, University of Sydney 2006, Building K25, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Adrian Bauman

  3. Physical Activity and Health Unit, Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Brian Martin

  4. School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

    Fiona Bull

  5. CELAFISCS, São Caetano Do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil

    Victor Matsudo

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  1. Bill Bellew
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  2. Adrian Bauman
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Correspondence to Adrian Bauman.

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Bellew, B., Bauman, A., Martin, B. et al. Public Policy Actions Needed to Promote Physical Activity. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep 5, 340–349 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-011-0180-6

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