Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 14 1 2025 12 01 What Policies Do Local Governments Use to Promote Physical Activity? A Comparative Analysis of Municipalities From 4 EU Countries and Japan 1 11 4689 10.34172/ijhpm.8594 EN Sven Messing Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, Health Research Institute, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland Antoine Noël Racine Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France Noriko Takeda Center for Promotion of Higher Education, Kogakuin University, Tokyo, Japan Tanja Onatsu Adults on the Move Program, Jamk University of Applied Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland Katariina Tuunanen Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Antonia Papiu Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Leonie Birkholz Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany Jean-Marie Garbarino Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France Yuko Oguma Sports Medicine Research Center, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan Yoshinobu Saito Faculty of Sport Management, Nippon Sport Science University, Yokohama, Japan Dan Mocan Independent Researcher, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Răzvan Mircea Cherecheș Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Anne Vuillemin Université Côte d’Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France Peter Gelius Institute of Sport Sciences, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Petru Sandu Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Journal Article 2024 05 17 Background As public policies have the potential to change the entire system of physical activity (PA) promotion and to create conducive environments, they are particularly relevant to address the persistently low levels of PA across the world. Furthermore, World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity highlights the relevance of local governments as important partners for policy action. However, our knowledge on how local PA promotion policy compares across countries remains limited. Methods We conducted an exploratory study as part of the LoGoPAS project to compare the status quo of local PA policies across five municipalities in five different countries. Using purposive sampling, Jyväskylä (Finland), Nice (France), Erlangen (Germany), Fujisawa (Japan), and Cluj-Napoca (Romania) were selected. Data were collected and analysed via desk research and expert consultation using the CAPLA-Santé, a validated tool designed to assess relevant aspects of local PA promotion policies. Results The analysis showed that the main responsibility for PA promotion varied between municipalities, resting either with the sport or the health sector. A total of 50 relevant PA policy documents were identified, focusing on multiple settings and target groups. Budgets for PA promotion differed across municipalities. Research on PA was reported to have informed policy development in some but not all cases. Across countries, political support was identified as a key driver of local PA promotion. Conclusion LoGoPAS is the first study to apply the CAPLA-Santé outside of France and the first to use it for an international comparative analysis. Results highlight the ability of the tool to provide insights into local PA policy development, contents, and implementation worldwide. While this study provided a cross-sectional in-depth analysis of the status quo in select municipalities, future research could also aim to assess policies at a large scale, ie, for multiple municipalities and/or on a regular basis.

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