Table 1 Country, title of analyzed policy paper, subpopulation specificity of the policy paper, timeline and number of interviewees
From: An evaluation of equity and equality in physical activity policies in four European countries
Title of policy paper and timeline | Primary responsible authorities of the policy paper | Overall vision of the policy | Objectives related to HEPA |
|---|---|---|---|
Denmark 17 interviews | |||
Regional: The regional action plan – Region of Zealand 2012–2015 | Region of Zealand | A broad-based functional regional policy and serves as an overall operating document for the development of social wealth, introduction of a green region theme, increased education level, tourism, and entrepreneurship, improved health and welfare services and infrastructure and transportation systems. | The policy touch areas where sport and exercise will play a role and be promoted, like linking HEPA to cultural activities with the health care system and ensure more recreational routes for cyclists. |
Local: Copenhagen City’s Public Health Policy – Long live Copenhagen 2011–2014 | City of Copenhagen | A public health policy targeting all citizens of the City of Copenhagen with special attention to vulnerable groups. The policy covers health in general, while physical activity is highly prioritized throughout the policy document. | The policy document included goals for physical activity, smoking, alcohol and self-assessed health. For physical activity the goals were to increase physical activity among young people and the general population. |
Local: The Sports and Physical Activity Policy of Esbjerg Municipality2011-2014 | Esbjerg Municipality, Department of Children and Culture | The vision was that through innovation and flexibility, the citizens would in every phase of their life be connected to sports and physical activity, which would provide energy and health to people. | The policy was divided into the following overall goals: physical environment, visibility, health promotion, non-elite sport, talent development and elite sport. This policy is an umbrella paper from which specific action plans are developed. |
Local: The Health Policy of Odense Municipality 2012 | The Municipality of Odense | The guiding vision was ‘to play is to live’. Also specific sector plans were created among these on sports and recreation. For the local health policy the overall ambition was to increase life expectancy free of disability or illness for everyone at all ages. | The health policy contained six focal areas: Healthy workplace and workforce; Mental health promotion; Reducing health inequalities; Strengthened efforts in relation to chronic diseases; Promoting health via the built-environment; Making healthy choice obvious and possible. |
Finland 15 interviews | |||
National: Development of health enhancing physical activity and nutrition 2008–2011 | Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Forest and Agriculture; National Sports Council, Advisory Board for Physical Activity | Increase the number of people for HEPA; increase number of people eating according the recommendations; decrease overweight and obesity and other nutrition and low HEPA related health problems; strengthen health-enhancing nutrition and HEPA practices in low socioeconomic groups. | Increase physically active lifestyle by increasing opportunities for physical activities in daily life; improving participation and a sense of community, enlarge equal opportunities for physically active hobbies; promote physical activities in day care, school and among students. |
National: Promotion of physical activity 2009–2012 | Ministries of Education, Social Affairs and Health, Environment and Finance; Association of Finnish Municipal and Regional Authorities, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Sport organizations and projects | Provide equal opportunities for physically active lifestyle and experience of communality through physical activity; improve understanding of physical activity as an essential part of wellbeing; safeguard conditions for physical activity; and make sustainable choices for physical activity. | Promote physical activity as a way of life by increasing opportunities for everyday physical activities at various stages in life. Improving preconditions for sport activities that promote participation and communality and by nurturing comprehensive equality in physical activity; development of favorable conditions, competence-building and measures to improve the prerequisites of non-governmental activities; reduce differences in physical activity and to support physical activity among the least advantaged population groups. |
National: Strategy for Walking and Cycling 2020 2011–2020 | Ministries of Transport, Communications and Environment, Finnish Transport Agency, centers for economic development, transport and the environment, cities and municipalities, the third sector | Make walking and cycling as normal and valued ways of getting around; walking and cycling more popular among all groups of people, both in cities and in rural areas; decrease health problems attributable to a lack of exercise from childhood to old age. | Promote walking and cycling to work and school and to access in public transport; provide a pleasant and safe physical environment; provide a variety of experiences and opportunities for social interaction; increase trips made on foot or bicycle by 20% and increase appreciation and motivation for walking and cycling of short distances and pleasant and safe surroundings. |
Regional: Päijät-Häme Regional Health Enhancing Physical Activity Plan 2009–2020 | Päijät-Häme Region, Municipalities in the region, sport and physical activity organizations, national welfare network | Provide conditions, services and know-how for health-enhancing physical activity. | Establish Regional Council for health-enhancing physical activity; develop for municipalities an action program on HEPA; Regional HEPA counseling as information sharing and motivation; development of HEPA conditions and services network; training and know-how development in HEPA. |
Local: Lahti health enhancing physical activity strategy 2007 | City of Lahti; technical and environment branch; social and health services branch; education and culture branch; physical activity. | Build permanent services and operation models in cooperation with the various fields of operation to promote prevention, individual’s own responsibility and health-enhancing physical activity among citizens. | Increase active lifestyles, communality and wellbeing; increase knowledge and skills on HEPA and its impacts and possibilities for health; train social and health sector employees to promote motivational interviews to enhance HEPA; invest in risk groups for HEPA and develop a cross-sector approach for HEPA with other partners. |
Romania 11 interviews | |||
National: Movement for health 2003-ongoing | The Prime Minister of the Romanian Government; Ministry of Education and Research. | Contribute directly to improving Romanian population health status through physical education and sport. | Each sports facility that is administered by public authorities will be made available for recreational physical activities for a minimum of two hours, for at least three times per week for every citizen; periodical sports events for the general population; programs and actions for children and young people developed. |
National: Sport for all 3rd Millennium Romania – A Different Lifestyle 2001-ongoing | Romanian Federation Sport for All; Ministry of Health and Family actions; Ministry of Youth and Sport (currently Ministry of Education, Research Youth and Sport – National Authority for Sport and Youth) | Promote sport for all and health, education and recreation as a part of the lifestyle of the Romanian population. Some of the subprograms actions developed each year were: Fun-Sport, Old-Sport, Baby-Sport, Rural Sport, A chance for everybody. | Improved partnership between Government structures, economic agents and civil society in order to achieve the fundamental goals, such as guaranteeing the right of everyone to free access to practice recreational physical activities, form positive mentalities and attitudes at all population levels, ensure necessary conditions like human resources, logistics, management and quality services for practicing leisure time physical activity in organized settings or independently, in a safe and clean environment, and transition from centralized planning and develop local programs based on tradition, needs and preferences of the population. |
County: The protocol for organizing sport activities for children in Cluj County – Cluj Champions 2011–2012 school year | Cluj County Council Cluj School Inspectorate Cluj Youth and Sport Department | Increase PA levels in Cluj County school aged children population | Contributing to the healthy physical and psychological development of the children participating in the competitions organized within the framework of the policy |
England 12 interviews | |||
National: Places People Play – delivering a mass participation sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games 2011–2015 | Minister for Sport and the Olympics, and a multi-agency collaboration between Sport England in partnership with the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association and with the support of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. | The initiative aims to deliver a mass participation sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games | Investing in regionally significant multi-sport facilities; modernize and extend clubs and opening up of local facilities for community sport; protect and improve hundreds of playing fields across the country; recruit, train and deploy 40,000 Sport Makers as the next generation of sports volunteers; motivate over 100,000 adults to test themselves in multiple Olympic and Paralympic sports; provide opportunities for teenagers and young adults aged up to 25 years to receive six weeks of coaching in the sport of their choice and guiding them into regular participation; disability program designed to inspire people with a disability to take part in sport |
Local: Destination Hereford 2011/12–2014/15 | Planning Department, Herefordshire Council | The local transport plan is guided by the vision of ‘A sustainable and integrated transport system which recognises the distinctive characteristics of Herefordshire’s rural and urban areas and provides for the transport needs of residents, visitors and the business community’. | The local transport plan is driven forward by delivering accessibility, tackling congestion, building safer roads and improving air quality. This is achieved among others means by increasing sustainable travel and developing cycling and commuting strategies. The local transport plan links with several key local policies, one of which is ‘improving health’, with one of its aims being to contribute to encouraging more active lifestyles |