WHO has just released a new report. 'This Global status report on physical activity is WHO’s first dedicated global assessment of global progress on country implementation of policy recommendations of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) 2018-2030. It also presents an estimate of the cost to health systems of not taking action to improve physical activity levels and reinforces the urgency to position physical activity as a shared, whole-of-government priority, and to strengthen coordination and partnerships to promote physical activity.'
Here is an extract from Dr Tedros's introduction: 'Supporting people to be more active through walking, cycling, sport, and other physical activity has huge benefits not only for the physical and mental health of individuals, but also for societies, environments, and economies... This report proposes five recommendations for enhanced leadership, practical guidance, engaging communities, better data, and sustainable funding.
The 132-page report notes the importance of 'Changing knowledge and mindsets', but I couldn't find baseline data: what is the current situation with regard to public knowledge and awareness about the benefits of exercise and the risks of not doing enough exercise? I had to do a separate Google search to get a sense of this, and it's surprising how little research appears tohave been done on the topic. A 2018 study from Australia in PLOS ONE found that 'Most people have a poor understanding of how much physical activity is good for you, and what health benefits such activity conveys. But the better your knowledge on these topics, the more physical activity you're likely to get.' https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0207003
I have not had the chance to read the whole document, but the recommended approach to building public knowledge and awareness is to run communication campaigns. 'Community-wide communication campaigns provide consistent, sustained and clear messages about the benefits of physical activity and have been identified as a cost-effective approach... Just over half of countries report conducting at least one communication campaign to raise awareness and knowledge around physical activity.'
Communication campaigns are surely just one of many possible approaches to building knowledge and awareness. A campaign suggests a time-limited exercise, but the fundamental challenge is to meet people's information needs 24/7. Every person needs access to relevant, reliable information, in their own language and in a format that works for them, and they need to be able to differentiate this from misinformation (which is rife on the subject of physical activity and obesity). Information alone is not enough, but it is a prerequisite.
Best wishes, Neil
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org
Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO
