Public Health Scotland (PHS) has led the development of a systems-based approach to physical activity. This approach can be applied at a national and local level in Scotland to increase physical activity and reduce inactivity in the population.

PHS gathered evidence about physical activity from:

• World Health Organisation (WHO)
• International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH)

We translated the evidence into a Scottish context. We then engaged with organisations and stakeholders across the physical activity system to test the development of a seven-stage process.

The process can now be used by national agencies and community planning partners to apply a systems-based approach to physical activity. It can be appropriately applied to the context in which they work to help shape the development of evidence-based actions.

This involves an assessment of the physical activity landscape through the lens of a Public Health Physical Activity Framework. The framework is based on eight evidence-based long-term delivery outcomes.

Learn more through:

• a report with a detailed step-by-step guide that can be used to successfully implement the approach
• a detailed version of the Public Health Physical Activity Framework
• an animation summarising the systems-based approach to physical activity

Go to the systems-based approach to physical activity in Scotland report and the framework

 

For more information go to:

• WHO's global action plan for physical activity (external website)
• ISPAH's eight investments that work for physical activity (external website)