Providing policymakers with the evidence and practices to act and improve lives through physical activity
Creators: name: Portas, Elena
name: Chern, Lee Huei
name: Kendall, James
name: Fleurot, Thomas
Publisher: name: The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada
Year: 2022

description: Purpose: Illustrate how data and analytics has been used to bridge the gap between policymakers and academia. Description: Policymakers often lack the evidence to drive change and improve the lives of citizens through physical activity. We will discuss how two unique global programs, ‘Active Citizens Worldwide’ (ACW) and ‘Sport Impacts: Children’ (SIC), have bridged the gap between academia and policymakers. Combining advanced data analytics, the latest in health, social and economic research and global benchmarking these programs have delivered unique insights on the drivers and outcomes of physical activity. These new perspectives highlight the importance of evidence-led decision-making and have led to tangible results across the globe. Chair: Thomas Fleurot. Presenter 1: Lee Huei Chern. Active Citizens Worldwide – a policy makers perspective. A founding partner of ACW, Sport Singapore uses in-depth data analytics to inform its policy and funding decisions within a city setting. The ACW framework has generated a new understanding of the relationship between citizens and physical activity. By conducting a detailed review of the barriers, motivations and opportunities for physical activity, Sport Singapore was able to design policies and interventions which will have the greatest positive impact on citizens. Presenter 2: Elena Portas. Sport Health and Activity Realisation Programme. The Sport, Health and Activity Research Project (SHARP) was set up in 2017 to gather the leading academic research on the benefits of sport and physical activity on individuals’ health and wellbeing. SHARP is used as the foundation to both ACW and SIC to quantify the monetary and non-monetary value of these individual benefits to communities. This clear evidence of impact has enabled policy makers to make the case for additional investment. Presenter 3: James Kendall. The social and economic value of grassroots football in England. Sports bodies are coming under increasing pressure to prove the true value of their sport. By combining data and analytics with secondary research of published academic papers, The Football Association conducted a detailed assessment of the socio-economic value of football in England. This included primary analysis of participation data that showed varying impact for different demographic groups including women, children and low socioeconomic groups. Results: Through a deeper understanding of the drivers of physical activity and a clear understanding of its impact, this approach has allowed policymakers to have tangible results: Funding: Aktive Auckland has secured an additional NZ$120M for sport and recreation in the 10-year annual national budget after results showed the annual contribution of $1.9Bn to the local economy through physical activity. New policies: Sports federations in England are reshaping their strategies towards childhood sport and activity based on data led insights from ‘Sport Impacts: Children’. International best practice sharing: Singapore Sport is leading global thinking and sharing their experiences through a network of like-minded cities. Conclusions: These programs illustrate how a collaborative approach using data and analytics has connected research with policy and practice and lead to substantial impacts in countries around the world.
description: The Health &amp; Fitness Journal of Canada, Vol. 14 No. 3 (2021): Proceedings from the 8th International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress