TY - JOUR
T1 - Health Enhancing Physical Activity Policies in Poland
T2 - Findings from the HEPA PAT Survey
AU - Romanowska, Aleksandra
AU - Morawiak, Agnieszka
AU - Woods, Catherine
AU - Kelly, Liam
AU - Volf, Kevin
AU - Gelius, Peter
AU - Messing, Sven
AU - Forberger, Sarah
AU - Lakerveld, Jeroen
AU - Den Braver, Nicolette R.
AU - Bengoechea, Enrique García
AU - Żukowska, Joanna
AU - On Behalf Of The PEN Consortium
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/6/1
Y1 - 2022/6/1
N2 - Insufficient physical activity (PA) is one of major risk factors for serious diseases and premature mortality worldwide. Public policies to enhance PA across society are recognized as an effective tool against the problem. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of national-level PA policy approach in Poland. A standardized survey of Word Health Organization named the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) was used for data col-lection. Content analysis and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT) were used to characterize various PA policy aspects, to appraise the current situation, and accommodate organizational and environmental factors that it is influenced by. The results show that the national PA policy approach has been constantly developing in Poland, but there is room for improvement in a number of areas. The most important weaknesses are the lack of clear leadership, no mechanisms in place to coordinate efforts undertaken at different levels, and lack of collaboration across different levels of government and across different sectors of economy. Providing an umbrella covering all PA promotion policies and activities is, therefore, a key issue to be addressed. The country should seize the opportunity coming from an increasing awareness of a healthy lifestyle among Polish society.
AB - Insufficient physical activity (PA) is one of major risk factors for serious diseases and premature mortality worldwide. Public policies to enhance PA across society are recognized as an effective tool against the problem. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive assessment of national-level PA policy approach in Poland. A standardized survey of Word Health Organization named the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT) was used for data col-lection. Content analysis and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT) were used to characterize various PA policy aspects, to appraise the current situation, and accommodate organizational and environmental factors that it is influenced by. The results show that the national PA policy approach has been constantly developing in Poland, but there is room for improvement in a number of areas. The most important weaknesses are the lack of clear leadership, no mechanisms in place to coordinate efforts undertaken at different levels, and lack of collaboration across different levels of government and across different sectors of economy. Providing an umbrella covering all PA promotion policies and activities is, therefore, a key issue to be addressed. The country should seize the opportunity coming from an increasing awareness of a healthy lifestyle among Polish society.
KW - HEPA PAT
KW - Poland
KW - physical activity
KW - public health
KW - public policy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132682646&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19127284
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19127284
M3 - Article
C2 - 35742530
AN - SCOPUS:85132682646
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 19
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 12
M1 - 7284
ER -