Health Equity in and through Physical Activity Policy

Background: Equity in health promotion in general and in physical activity (PA) promotion is important. However, many PA interventions either fail to close this gap or even exacerbate health inequities. Consequently, WHO has highlighted that policy action is required “to accelerate progress in reaching those being left behind because of poor health and in preventing others from falling behind”.

Purpose: This study aimed to increase our understanding of the links between policy and equity in PA by (a) identifying the influence of policy on equity in PA and (b) examining the influence of PA on aspects of health equity in general.

Methods: A rapid literature review was conducted using relevant scientific databases.

Results: Evidence on the effectiveness of PA policies for the promotion of health equity was identified for several political sectors. Relevant areas include equitable access to sport facilities, to programs across different settings; to green and blue spaces and places for PA; and to adequate supervision for those with special needs. Policy development processes can also promote health equity by involving organizations that represent different population groups. In turn, increased PA may contribute to overall health equity if its protective health benefits (e.g. in relation to cardiovascular risk factors) are experienced by large segments of the population.

Conclusions: PA policies can contribute to the promotion of equity. By enabling larger segments of the population to access PA infrastructures and offers, such policies may also contribute to greater health equity in societies overall.

Practical implications: The results of this review were used to expand an existing tool for physical activity policy benchmarking (PA-EPI) to include aspects of health equity (PA-EPIQ).

Funding: ERA4Health, GA N° 101095426 of the EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme