Whole-of-school approach to the promotion of physical activity: using research, policy and practice to understand system’s needs and structures

Overview

Promoting physical activity through schools provides substantial health and well-being benefits and enhances academic outcomes. Yet, challenges persist with designing effective programmes which can be delivered at scale to address physical inactivity. While whole-of-school physical activity programmes show promise, their implementation and effectiveness is impacted by the broader health and education system. This publication presents the findings from a Europe-wide research project to understand the national systems and conditions required to support effective programmes at the subnational and national level. The publication concludes with seven key recommendations that all countries should action to create effective whole-of-school physical activity programmes to address population levels of physical inactivity.