A retrospective analysis of policy development on compliance with World Health Organization’s physical activity recommendations between 2002 and 2005 in European Union adults: closing the gap between research and policy

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical inactivity (PIA) is a mortality risk factor defined as performing lower levels of physical activity than recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). After 2002, the WHO released the WHA55.23 Resolution and the Global Strategy which produced several changes in policymaking, but with no subsequent analyses of the impact of these changes in European Union (EU) policymaking while examining PIA prevalence.MethodsPIA of 31,946 adults as a whole sample and country-by-country were analyzed in the 2002 and 2005 EU Special Eurobarometers. PIA prevalence between countries was performed with the χ2 test and PIA between both years and between genders was analyzed with the Z-Score test for two population proportions. A retrospective analysis of national plans was performed to interpret the suitability of such policy documents, considering changes in PIA prevalence.ResultsDifferences in PIA prevalence were observed between countries (p < 0.001) and years (p < 0.001) for the whole sample and men and women separately. Within-country samples showed no differences for Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, and Spain (p > 0.05). When considering gender, there were no gender reductions in subsamples for Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom, neither in Luxemburg for men, nor in France and Italy for women. When analyzing gender differences across the entire sample, PIA was higher in women than men for both years (p < 0.001). Greece and Luxemburg did not release national plans for promoting physical activity.ConclusionsWhile large differences in PIA prevalence between EU countries prevailed, the overall PIA descended between both years for the whole sample, men, and women. While this points out a general suitability of policymaking for reducing PIA, not all countries reported reductions in PIA for men, women, or both genders. Also, PIA levels were higher for women in both years, suggesting a less than optimal policy implementation, or lack of women-specific focus across the EU. This analysis helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of PIA policymaking in the EU and provides researchers with targeted intervention areas for future development.

The active living gender’s gap challenge: 2013–2017 Eurobarometers physical inactivity data show constant higher prevalence in women with no progress towards global reduction goals

“…Only one previous study compared changes between years in the prevalence of PIA using the Special Eurobarometer data between 2002 and 2005 [11]. In this study, Mayo and colleagues showed a reduction of PIA prevalence between years with dissimilar changes between countries [11].…”

“…In this regard, there may be relatively higher PIA prevalence in our study due to several reasons. Firstly, it is essential to note that in Mayo’s study only the fifteen countries that entered the EU before May 2014 were analyzed (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Luxemburg) [11], and some of these being countries with historically lower PIA prevalence [10]. Our study included all 28 EU countries, with some countries having a relatively higher prevalence of PIA, such as Cyprus or Malta [10].…”

“…Our study included all 28 EU countries, with some countries having a relatively higher prevalence of PIA, such as Cyprus or Malta [10]. Secondly, the responses in the Mayo study were the classical open solution to indicate minutes performed in every activity [11], as is indicated in the IPAQ Guidelines [8]. However, the last two Special Eurobarometers (i.e., 2013 and 2017) truncated the possible answers to five different fixed possibilities [8].…”

“…This analysis was implemented using a modified ad hoc spreadsheet available online [19]. Only individuals with at least one valid intensity and duration of a particular intensity (i.e., both variables with a different answer than “don’t know”) were eligible for further analysis [11].…”

“…During the same years, scientific papers analyzing the PIA prevalence of particular Eurobarometers were published, such as the Special Eurobarometer 183.6 (2002) [9] and the Special Eurobarometer 412 (2012) [10]. A further study observed PIA prevalence reductions for those European countries that joined the EU before 2004 comparing the Special Eurobarometer 412 and the Special Eurobarometer 246 between 2002 and 2005 [11]. Nevertheless, the picture is quite different in the 28-country EU nowadays.…”