The understanding, application and influence of complexity in national physical activity policy-making.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Complexity theory and systems-thinking are increasingly popular in physical activity (PA) research and policy discourse. The impact of this perspective shift, across many sectors, may be underwhelming. We explore why, by focusing on how these concepts are understood and applied by PA policy-makers. This is of particular interest given the challenges of multisectoral interest and poorly defined stakeholder boundaries that are associated with PA promotion. In this study, we critique key elements of complexity theory and consider how it is understood and put into practice in PA policy-making.

Methods

We adopted a complex realist position. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with national-level policy-makers from United Kingdom government settings (five civi

SUBMITTER: Rigby BP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9153223 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature