Development and implementation of physical activity policies at national and subnational levels: a pilot study in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico

Abstract

National physical activity (PA) policy processes are only beginning to be documented, and the interaction between the actors involved in these processes remains understudied. This study was designed to gain further insights into the policy process (agenda setting, policy formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation) and the interaction between national and subnational levels. We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility and scalability of an instrument to assess the PA policy process as part of the work of the Global Physical Activity Observatory (GoPA!). The instrument was tested in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador, where pilot data were collected in matched pairs of the capital plus one non-capital city among national and subnational policy makers (n=23), as identified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess perceptions on the influences and interactions across the two levels with respect to PA policy development, implementation, and evaluation.