Desingning Physical Activity Promotion Programmes to Improve Health

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 3. Good health and well-being
• 4. Quality education

Objectives

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours are risk factors for chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Increasing physical activity levels and reducing sedentary behaviours have become key public health strategies to prevent and control chronic diseases. In this context, the high percentage of sedentary and inactive people worldwide highlights the need to implement targeted programmes to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour across all segments of the population. This course covers relevant topics for designing effective physical activity promotion programmes for children, adolescents, adults and elderly in different settings (schools, workplaces, cities, sport centers among others). At the end of the course, students will design a physical activity promotion programme for a real-life setting they will have chosen.

Objectives

1. To understand the importance of "promoting physical activity and sitting less" for public health to improve the well-being of the population.
2. To learn the main psychological theories and determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour to promote behaviour change.
3. To identify barriers and facilitators that influence the adoption of physical activity and reduction of sedentary behaviour.
4. To analyse physical activity promotion and "sit less" programs based in different settings: workplace, health centers, community and schools.
5. To design and develop a physical activity programme for a a real setting using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model.

Learning outcomes

Under review. Pending publication

Content

1. Definition of key concepts in health promotion
2. History of health and physical activity promotion
3. Why is it important to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in public health? Providing an evidence-based rationale
4. Physical activity promotion and "sit less" programs in public health: International and national framework documents
5. National health surveys and national health plans: What are they for?
6. Physical activity promotion programmes in different settings across Europe: What makes a physical activity promotion programme effective?
7. Determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour across the life course
8. Integrating psychological theories and models of behaviour change into physical activity promotion programmes
9. Designing and planning tailored programmes to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour: The PRECEDE- PROCEDE model

Evaluation

1. Assistance to the tutorial compulsory sessions that will be undertaken on Fridays (check the work plan): 10% of the final mark. No extra activities are retaken
2. Submission of tasks and reports throughout the course: 10% of the final mark. No extra activities are retaken
3. Individual assignment
   1. Phase one of the individual assignment: Provide a tailored rationale of why promoting physical activity or reduce sitting time is important for the chosen real setting: 25% of the final mark
   2. Phase two of the individual assignment: Design of a physical activity promotion programme tailored to the chosen real setting: 25% of the final mark
4. Multiple-choice exam: 20% of the final mark
5. PowerPoint presentation of the physical activity promotion designed: 10% of the final mark

Methodology

During the lectures, scientific evidence will be exposed. Different strategies will be used to help students integrating the different concepts: reading the content of PowerPoint presentations, doing tasks to enhance the learning of concepts, observing and analysing current physical activity promotion programs in Europe, analysis of articles, presentation of real programs of physical activity promotion and, if possible, visit some companies that promote physical activity among their workers.

Also an exchange with the Inholland University of Applied Sciences is organised. The students who are studying the subject Workplace Health Promotion at the Inholland University visit us and we have the opportunity to share similar experiences and learn from another country.

During the development of the assignment, the settings and physical activity promotion strategies chosen for the students to carry out their programs will be discussed. At the end of the course, individual oral presentations explaining the physical activity promotion program developed will be conducted. Face-to-face individual and team tutorials will be carried out to supervise and monitor the design and planning of the physical activity promotion program.

The AICLE method will be used to enhance learning through the English language:

1. Anticipating language demands for the students and the lecturer.
2. Defining key concepts to students for each lesson.
3. Planning the language the lecture will use in each session.
4. Providing PowerPoint presentations to students before each session.
5. Scaffolding: the same content will be explained using different strategies: lecturer's oral presentation, graphs and reading texts.
6. Applying the content of the different lectures on practical tasks in small groups.

Bibliography

Key references

• Bess H. Marcus & LeighAnn H. Forsyth (2009). Motivating people to be physically active (2 ed.). Human Kinetics.
• Karolina Horodyska, Aleksandra Luszczynska, Matthijs van den Berg, Marieke Hendriksen, Gun Roos, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij and Johannes Brug (2015). Good practice characteristics of diet and physical activity interventions and policies: an umbrella review. BMC Public Health 15:19.
• Nyman S, Barker A, Haines T, Horton K,Musselwhite C, Peeters G, Victor C, Wolff J. (2018). The Palgrave handbook of ageing and physical activity promotion. Palgrave Macmillan.
• World Health Organization (2018). Global Action Plan on Physical ACtivity 2018-2030: More active people for a healthier world. World Health Organization.
• World Health Organization (2018). Physical Activity Factsheets for the 28 European Union Member States of the WHO EUROPEA Region. World health Organization.

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.