Policies to promote physical activity fall short

I believe this study is important because it calls attention to politicians and society in general regarding the importance of developing strategies to prevent the current pandemic of physical inactivity, which, let us remember, is directly or indirectly one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Rather than an exhaustive scientific analysis, the study is based on questions posed to policy-makers, academics and other figures involved in health and physical activity, to find out their perception of what is being done in their respective countries to increase levels of physical activity. The results reveal something that many of us already suspected: although evidence of the dangers of physical inactivity has grown exponentially over the last decade, strategies to prevent physical inactivity are still not a political priority, and the few that have been proposed do not seem to have been developed effectively.

Unlike other risk factors such as smoking, against which action is being taken at all levels, physical activity continues to be largely overlooked. We invest more in treating diseases than in preventing them, in which promoting physical activity would be key. This context is particularly worrying in less developed countries or areas, although even in Europe there is still no clear action programme to prevent physical inactivity in different contexts and among different population groups (children, adults and the elderly). It is necessary to coordinate the various elements involved (policy-makers, businesspeople, health professionals, teachers and the general population) in order to combat physical inactivity effectively.

In this article, this team of authors has made an important reflection on the overwhelming evidence showing how policies to promote physical activity have improved over the last twenty years without any noticeable improvement in epidemiological data. This group of authors has extensive experience in the field and has analysed in detail the public policies of many countries, so the data provided is highly rigorous and of great scientific value. The fact that these policies are presented as focused on the prevention of non-communicable diseases has prevented them from having a direct effect, at least for the moment, on the population.

The authors raise a very relevant point for these policies to be successful in the near future: intersectoral work. This would make physical activity a real political priority by creating opportunities for physical activity in all contexts in which human beings move. If there are policies that promote active transport to school or work, policies that encourage physical activity during the working day, policies that articulate health centres as spaces for physical activity, which is already happening in some places, we will probably see an increase in physical activity.

In the case of Spain, we can say that there are a significant number of policies that encourage physical activity among the population, with progress having been made towards intersectorality. However, as mentioned, it is important to have clear leadership to prevent all progress from stalling. Furthermore, in Spain we have the particularity of the regions and the powers delegated to them in certain areas. This implies the additional need for vertical coordination that takes into account the particularities of each region, as has been observed in some regional analyses in Spain. Therefore, based on the comments in the reference article, Spain is in a good starting position to “create active communities” in which it is normal to move around as a fundamental principle.