Development of a Local Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Analysis Tool in France: CAPLA-Santé.

The promotion of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) has become a key objective in public health policy. Therefore, based on the national HEPA Policy Audit Tool Version 2 (HEPA PAT v2) of the World Health Organization, a tool was designed to support local governments in assessing HEPA policies. This study aims to describe the adaptation and testing of the HEPA policy analysis tool (CAPLA-Santé) at the local level in France. The work was conducted in three stages: (1) an intersectoral group of experts was constituted, and the group adapted each item of the HEPA PAT v2 tool to the local level; (2) a testing phase with seven local governments helped to collect data and feedback on the tool; and (3) a final workshop was organized to adjust and finalize the tool. The final version of CAPLA-Santé contains 21 items divided into six major sections: overview of HEPA stakeholders in the local government area, policy documents, policy contents, funding and political engagement, studies and measures relating to physical activity in the local government area, and progress achieved and future challenges. CAPLA-Santé allows the collection and in-depth analysis of local level policies to assess the progress in promoting HEPA and intersectoral collaboration as well as identifying successful policy levers and remaining challenges.

[Overview of French public policies promoting health-enhancing physical activity]. / Panorama des politiques publiques françaises de promotion de l'activité physique bénéfique pour la santé.

Although multiple strategies are used to promote physical activity, they do not cover all sectors. This configuration also raises the question of the harmonization of these national public policies and the existence of intersectoral coordination mechanisms. .

Health enhancing physical activity in all policies? Comparison of national public actors between France and Belgium.

Despite evidence on the benefits of health enhancing physical activity (HEPA), only few countries have developed "health in all policies" and specifically integrated HEPA policies. Paucity of studies have questioned the role of public national actors in PA policies enactment and delivery, the barriers and levers for adopting cross-sectoral HEPA. The present work seeks at comparing France and Belgium in regard to their competencies of ministries promoting HEPA, the presence of leadership and coordination in HEPA policies implementation, their key public legal entities working on HEPA. Expert interviews and document analysis were realized to complete the HEPA policy audit tool in each country. Results have shown that HEPA cross-sectoral policies are at their early stage. A broad diversity of sectors was implicated in HEPA policies: sport, health, transport, environment, and education, but often with weak activity. No leadership or coordination exist to implement HEPA policies, although different public legal entities could work on this aim. Ministries relationships were principally coming from formal co-interventions mandated by national public plans in France, where in Belgium relationships were punctual. Lobbying within each sector and in key public legal entities to promote HEPA is needed, and the development of official national coordination is essential.