Focus Area 1—Research

Research findings can be used to inform decision making for key stakeholders. Although not all research should be translated to practice and/or policy, relevant evidence-based solutions for decision makers to consider to help “all people being regularly active” are compiled in the GAPPA. Research, thus, plays a key role in generating, updating, and supplying feasible evidence-based solutions to aid in the reduction in physical inactivity levels. The recommendations presented in this subsection would resonate primarily with early career researchers. However, the list contains references to “decision makers” and “stakeholders,” deeming some of the recommendations relevant to early career practitioners and policymakers. The ways for ECPs to contribute to the research focus include:

1. •Publishing research in the basic, clinical, and applied sciences of PA and health.
2. •Conducting transdisciplinary research with transport, education, urban planners, and other professionals (ie, linking to the UN SDGs and making findings more relevant to decision markers).
3. •Evaluating interventions comprehensively (ie, including formative, process, and summative evaluations), along with examining the barriers and facilitators to implementation, thereby identifying effective interventions and a clear understanding of scalability.²⁰
4. •Disseminating research through national and international conferences, generating awareness, and building research networks. Consider alternative avenues to traditional academic journals to communicate with stakeholders, decision makers, and practitioners, such as presentations, blogs, or public engagement events.
5. •Consider consumer research to demonstrate public support for PA advocacy objectives.

Focus Area 2—Practice/Workforce

There is a clear need to work with and inform practice across multiple sectors. PA promotion can inform and be informed by a variety of other sectors, such as transportation, education, urban planning, tourism, architecture, climate, and academia. Moreover, there is a need to cover a range of levels of the workforce, from government to grassroots delivery. ECPs can contribute to the practice focus in multiple ways, such as:

1. •Joining and contributing to the work of professional societies from the behavioral medicine and/or PA and health-related fields (ie, encouraging a cross-pollination of knowledge).
2. •Mobilizing consensus across sectors and a common voice around priority GAPPA actions.
3. •Being open to informing and being informed by practice “beyond health professionals,” such as transportation, education, urban planning, tourism, architecture, politics, and climate professionals.
4. •Promoting and advocating PA for specific groups with low levels of PA, with the aim of reducing inequalities.
5. •Helping to organize training for professional bodies, practitioners, and program-delivery personnel involved with the promotion of PA.
6. •Collaborating with key stakeholders for the development of audience-specific communication and dissemination products that summarize relevant PA evidence and actions in a suitable manner (ie, briefs).
7. •Supporting the translation of the GAPPA and/or other advocacy resources and products into the language(s) appropriate for different countries or regions.

Focus Area 3—Business

In some instances, it can be useful for ECPs to have a business focus to generate, disseminate, and implement important evidence and actions. Consider the actions provided and how they may help with the advocacy of the GAPPA in the area of research, practice, or policy. The ways for ECPs to contribute to PA promotion within the business focus include:

1. •Assisting in changing business practices, promoting PA, and increasing health awareness. For example, advocate for business policies that promote safe and affordable opportunities to be physically active, regardless of sex, age, socioeconomic status, or beliefs (SDG 10 “reduced inequalities”). Involve industry partners in PA promotion, especially where the opportunities (eg, programs, training/education, capital investment) are provided in business settings and the outcomes are relevant to the companies involved.
2. •Developing and using entrepreneurial skills to contribute to organizations, where PA evidence drives effective PA promotion methods to populations.
3. •Seeking and applying for leadership training and roles in PA-related companies.
4. •Being alert to small business innovation research or knowledge transfer grants and opportunities for training, research, and evaluation within companies.

Focus Area 4—Policy

Early career professionals can play a role in the translation of evidence, knowledge, actions, and goals of the GAPPA at the policy level in their localities, regions, or countries. ECPs can aid and engage with the policy level through the following examples:

1. •Supporting the production of policy briefs that summarize evidence for policy actions and provide information for decision makers. Multiple levels and agents need to be considered, including governments (eg, local councils, regional, national), professional organizations, and corporations.
2. •Acknowledging policies published by a range of government sectors (eg, education, health, urban planning, and transport) and supporting other sectors to develop policies that support PA. For instance, developing urban and transport planning policies to provide equitable access to open spaces and places, recreational facilities, and safe infrastructure to walking and cycling. This can contribute toward sustainable transport systems for all, achieving universal access to green and public spaces and reducing the environmental impact of cities, which, in turn, can contribute toward SDG 11 “sustainable cities and communities.”
3. •Ensuring to specify the policy relevance of your work, highlighting the important and politically relevant cobenefits of actions to increase PA. Examples of this are the inclusion of cost-effectiveness evaluations of relevant work to inform policy or the advocacy of the GAPPA actions, which can directly contribute to the UN 2030 SDGs.
4. •Seeking opportunities to present findings, products, and tools of your work to the relevant stakeholders at the policy level. This could be through government-led academic engagement seminars or attendance and contribution at public health conferences.
5. •Working collectively and engaging policymakers when selecting and designing research questions (ie, cocreation) to ensure the relevance and feasibility for real-world application.

Focus Area 5—Public, Professional, and Media Opinion

It is important to disseminate the findings of relevant work and advocate for the promotion of PA among the general public, through our professional allies and key influencers in the media. Mobilizing engagement with the public can help promote PA engagement though another pathway, although previous focus operates at more distal levels (eg, policy, business). There are a number of ways for achieving this, such as:

1. •Communicating findings or general information directly to the public through press releases, media events, social media platforms with the goal of indirectly affecting future policy decisions. Public opinion may have a powerful impact on policy decisions.
2. •Mobilizing professional consensus for advocacy actions through conferences, webinars, electronic direct mail, journals, websites and other “owned media,” Twitter, LinkedIn, and other relevant platforms.
3. •Undertaking training to enhance the communication and media skills for disseminating your work via widely viewed media/press outlets.
4. •Building relationships with media/public relations/communication experts (eg, health journalists and writers, commentators, and marketing departments within organizations) to help communicate your findings in ways that the media and public find compelling.
5. •Communicating findings, outputs, and tools in “layman’s terms” through alternative methods (eg, social media, news outlets, blogs) with the goal of building support for specific policies.
6. •Seeking partnership with advocacy organizations and individuals that have expertise in communicating research-based or health promotion messages across diverse channels (eg, noncommunicable disease alliance, International Union for Health Promotion and Education, Sustrans).
7. •Mobilizing the public to advocate for programs, supportive environments, and environmental changes in their communities through petitions, Facebook, mass participation events, and meetings with their local political representatives.

What Are the Next Steps?

It is advised that ECPs use available professional development opportunities to help understand the GAPPA and how best to advocate it through multiple areas of focus. This might include identifying an advocacy mentor through relevant societies, such as the International Society for Physical Activity and Health. The suggestions provided in this commentary can be utilized by ECPs, depending on their role, experience, and area of focus, to support effective advocacy, dissemination, and implementation of the GAPPA actions. There is a role for everyone in advocacy processes.

To support this professional community development, the Early Career Network of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health will undertake an assessment of ECPs’ needs to better understand the GAPPA and which support and models may be necessary to facilitate its advocacy. This will be followed by a workshop that will address the queries derived from the needs assessment. As a network with the capacity to provide professional community development, we aim for these future activities to increase understanding, in turn, leading to effective advocacy, dissemination, and implementation of the GAPPA actions in robust and funded national PA action plans across the world. Our collective advocacy can deliver substantial return on investment in achieving the goal of “more active people for a healthier world.”

Conclusions

Action is needed from multiple stakeholders operating at multiple levels, with ECPs having a critical role in supporting the implementation of the GAPPA at the national and local levels. The actions highlighted in this commentary can support ECPs in advocating for PA and translating the GAPPA into practice. Through our collective action, let’s ensure that ECPs play their role in contributing to the achievement of the World Health Organization target for reducing physical inactivity by 15% by 2030.