Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government
Abstract Background Even though the importance of physical activity policy monitoring has increased in the last decade, there is a lack of understanding what different approaches exist and which methodology they employ. In order to address this research gap, this review attempts to map existing appr...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Health Research Policy and Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01068-5 |
| _version_ | 1797413627068678144 |
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| author | Sven Messing Antonina Tcymbal Karim Abu-Omar Peter Gelius |
| author_facet | Sven Messing Antonina Tcymbal Karim Abu-Omar Peter Gelius |
| author_sort | Sven Messing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Even though the importance of physical activity policy monitoring has increased in the last decade, there is a lack of understanding what different approaches exist and which methodology they employ. In order to address this research gap, this review attempts to map existing approaches of physical activity policy monitoring and to analyse methodological aspects, especially with regards to the roles of governments and researchers. Methods A systematic search was conducted in five scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Psycinfo, Web of Knowledge) in July 2021, and the identified records were screened independently by two reviewers. Records were included if they (a) focused on the monitoring of public policies to promote PA, (b) allowed to compare policies across time, across nations/regions or across policy sectors, and (c) were written in English, German or Russian. During full text analysis, information on methodological aspects was extracted and studies were categorized based on the level of government involvement. Results The search yielded in a total of 112 studies. 86 of these studies (76.8%) followed a research-driven approach (little or no government involvement) while only two studies (1.8%) were based on a government-driven approach (led by governments). The remaining 24 studies (21.4%) were based on a co-production approach (strong collaboration between researchers and governments). All in all, 18 different tools for physical activity policy monitoring were identified; key examples are the Report Cards on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (research-driven approach), the HEPA Monitoring Framework (government-driven approach) and the HEPA Policy Audit Tool (co-production approach). Conclusions The level of government involvement in policy monitoring differs significantly, and research-driven, government-driven and co-production approaches can be distinguished. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, and can be linked to distinct theories of change and models on research-policy relations. Increasing awareness on the implications of these approaches is key to improve the understanding and further development of physical activity policy monitoring. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:21:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-faa1a7dbeebf4907802c197038a6ccff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-4505 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:21:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Research Policy and Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-faa1a7dbeebf4907802c197038a6ccff2023-12-03T12:40:41ZengBMCHealth Research Policy and Systems1478-45052023-11-0121111210.1186/s12961-023-01068-5Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of governmentSven Messing0Antonina Tcymbal1Karim Abu-Omar2Peter Gelius3Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergAbstract Background Even though the importance of physical activity policy monitoring has increased in the last decade, there is a lack of understanding what different approaches exist and which methodology they employ. In order to address this research gap, this review attempts to map existing approaches of physical activity policy monitoring and to analyse methodological aspects, especially with regards to the roles of governments and researchers. Methods A systematic search was conducted in five scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, Psycinfo, Web of Knowledge) in July 2021, and the identified records were screened independently by two reviewers. Records were included if they (a) focused on the monitoring of public policies to promote PA, (b) allowed to compare policies across time, across nations/regions or across policy sectors, and (c) were written in English, German or Russian. During full text analysis, information on methodological aspects was extracted and studies were categorized based on the level of government involvement. Results The search yielded in a total of 112 studies. 86 of these studies (76.8%) followed a research-driven approach (little or no government involvement) while only two studies (1.8%) were based on a government-driven approach (led by governments). The remaining 24 studies (21.4%) were based on a co-production approach (strong collaboration between researchers and governments). All in all, 18 different tools for physical activity policy monitoring were identified; key examples are the Report Cards on Physical Activity for Children and Youth (research-driven approach), the HEPA Monitoring Framework (government-driven approach) and the HEPA Policy Audit Tool (co-production approach). Conclusions The level of government involvement in policy monitoring differs significantly, and research-driven, government-driven and co-production approaches can be distinguished. These approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, and can be linked to distinct theories of change and models on research-policy relations. Increasing awareness on the implications of these approaches is key to improve the understanding and further development of physical activity policy monitoring.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01068-5Public healthPhysical activityPolicyMonitoringMethodologyResearch-policy relations |
| spellingShingle | Sven Messing Antonina Tcymbal Karim Abu-Omar Peter Gelius Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government Health Research Policy and Systems Public health Physical activity Policy Monitoring Methodology Research-policy relations |
| title | Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government |
| title_full | Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government |
| title_fullStr | Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government |
| title_full_unstemmed | Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government |
| title_short | Research- vs. government-driven physical activity policy monitoring: a systematic review across different levels of government |
| title_sort | research vs government driven physical activity policy monitoring a systematic review across different levels of government |
| topic | Public health Physical activity Policy Monitoring Methodology Research-policy relations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01068-5 |
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