P01-14 National policy response to the Sustainable Development Goals: a physical activity case study of Wales

Abstract Issue Population level changes in physical activity (PA) may benefit from policy intervention. In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Wales introduced legislation (the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015) to holistically improve health and well-being, including the translation of national policy into practice. This audit provides a case study approach that could be replicated by researchers in other countries to appraise the role of PA actions in national and sub-national policies. Description An audit of policies published by national and sub-national public bodies between 2015 and 2020 was conducted. The list of identified policies was reviewed by an external panel to act as a ?critical friend? to verify its inclusiveness. Content of the policies were extracted and synthesised to determine: (i) how many policies included a PA action; (ii) what the drivers of those policies were; (iii) the content of the PA actions; and (iv) how the PA actions aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Results A final list of 73 policies was obtained. Only 16 national-level documents had a PA action, which had been published by 4/13 public bodies (who are bound by the Act). Of the 19 sub-national well-being policies, 15 included PA actions. Most policies were considered reactive and varied in terms of the clarity and specificity of the actions, the assignment roles/responsibilities, and the setting of targets; all overarching principles which can be used to strengthen national and sub-national policy in the future. The most common theme of action across the national-level documents was the broad action of PA promotion, which was identified in nine of the 16 documents. The actions within the national-level documents were reflected in the sub-national well-being plans. Lessons This research used a novel approach to assess alignment of policies related to PA and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Wales. It provides an overview of the current status of policy related to PA in Wales, which can be used in manifestos and frameworks to shape the subsequent actions of public bodies. Main messages This case study provides a valuable example of how to utilise PA to address broader health and wellbeing agendas, and specifically the SDGs. It also demonstrates an approach to achieving stronger connections between national and sub-national policy to support the translation of policies into practice.


Issue
Population level changes in physical activity (PA) may benefit from policy intervention. In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Wales introduced legislation (the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015) to holistically improve health and well-being, including the translation of national policy into practice. This audit provides a case study approach that could be replicated by researchers in other countries to appraise the role of PA actions in national and sub-national policies. Description An audit of policies published by national and sub-national public bodies between 2015 and 2020 was conducted. The list of identified policies was reviewed by an external panel to act as a ?critical friend? to verify its inclusiveness. Content of the policies were extracted and synthesised to determine: (i) how many policies included a PA action; (ii) what the drivers of those policies were; (iii) the content of the PA actions; and (iv) how the PA actions aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Results
A final list of 73 policies was obtained. Only 16 national-level documents had a PA action, which had been published by 4/13 public bodies (who are bound by the Act). Of the 19 subnational well-being policies, 15 included PA actions. Most policies were considered reactive and varied in terms of the clarity and specificity of the actions, the assignment roles/ responsibilities, and the setting of targets; all overarching principles which can be used to strengthen national and subnational policy in the future. The most common theme of action across the national-level documents was the broad action of PA promotion, which was identified in nine of the 16 documents. The actions within the national-level documents were reflected in the sub-national well-being plans. Lessons This research used a novel approach to assess alignment of policies related to PA and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Wales. It provides an overview of the current status of policy related to PA in Wales, which can be used in manifestos and frameworks to shape the subsequent actions of public bodies.

Main messages
This case study provides a valuable example of how to utilise PA to address broader health and wellbeing agendas, and specifically the SDGs. It also demonstrates an approach to achieving stronger connections between national and sub-national policy to support the translation of policies into practice. Background An analysis of currently existing partnerships and cross-country collaboration for physical activity (PA) promotion is valuable for understanding how such partnerships operate, and how they impact national PA promotion efforts. This study aimed to outline the structure of the European Union's (EU) National Physical Activity Focal Point Network, to evaluate its outputs and benefits, and to describe its potential and challenges.

Methods
We employed a mixed methods approach with three components: (1) document analysis of network meeting reports, (2) semi-structured interviews with key officials who were involved in establishing the network, and (3) an online evaluation survey with the national PA Focal Points.

Results
The PA Focal Point Network was founded in 2014, and its main task is to coordinate the collection of information for the EU's HEPA Monitoring Framework. Each of the EU Member States nominated a representative to the network. Focal Points usually meet twice a year to discuss issues related to the HEPA Monitoring Framework and to share best practices and plan activities for the promotion of PA within the EU. The results of the evaluation survey show that participation in the network helped members to specify goals for PA promotion, gain knowledge, and identify opportunities to promote PA in their country. From the perspective of the Focal Points, most helpful outputs of the Network activity are the country factsheets on physical activity, the connections within the Network and the opportunity to share their experience with colleagues during meetings and group discussions.

Conclusions
The study shows that the PA Focal Point Network may serve as an example of successful cross-country collaboration in PA promotion. The network has supported the monitoring of the implementation of the EU Council Recommendation on HEPA across sectors in particular and of PA promotion in the EU in Abstract citation ID: ckac095.016 P01-16 EUMOVE Project: an Erasmus+ Project for the promotion of healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents