Table 1 Definitions of the building blocks and elements of Comprehensive Analysis of Policy on Physical Activity (CAPPA) framework

PURPOSE OF ANALYSIS

The purpose of a policy analysis

Auditing

Inquiry about a certain aspect of policy but not rating, grading, judging, or evaluating it. An example of a questionnaire item used for this purpose is: “Does Australia have a national PA strategy?”.

Assessment

Grading, rating, judging, or evaluating policy. An example of a questionnaire item used for this purpose is: “On the scale from 1 to 10, please rate to what extent is the Australian PA strategy evidence-based?”.

POLICY LEVEL

The level on which a policy was enacted and/or implemented

International

Policy that was enacted, endorsed, and/or implemented by an international political body (e.g. a policy of the United Nations).

National

Policy that was enacted, endorsed, and/or implemented by the national government or a governmental body (e.g. a policy of the Australian national government).

Subnational

Policy that was enacted, endorsed, and/or implemented below the national level but above the local level (e.g. a policy of the state government of Victoria, Australia).

Local

Policy that was enacted, endorsed, and/or implemented by a local government (e.g. a policy of the Melbourne City Council).

Institutional

Policy that was enacted, endorsed, and/or implemented by a public or private institution for its own purposes (e.g. a policy of the Melbourne High School).

POLICY SECTOR

The sector in which and/or for which a policy was developed and/or implemented

Health

The health sector includes all policies relevant to products and services for preventive, curative, rehabilitative, or palliative healthcare (e.g. a document by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, which mentions that healthcare professionals in schools should be especially trained to gain motivational interviewing skills related to PA [55]).

Sport

The sport sector includes all policies that refer to products and services for active or passive engagement of people in sport (e.g. Scotland’s sport strategy for children and young people – Giving children and young people a sporting chance, which sets out Scottish Government’s vision for children and young people’s participation in sport [56]).

Recreation and leisure

The recreation and leisure sector includes all policies that refer to products and services for active or passive engagement of people in recreational exercise and other leisure-time physical activities (e.g. Leisure Strategy and Action Plan 2015–2020 by the City of Darebin, which is a local-level document issued to direct the promotion of mental and physical wellbeing through active lifestyle [57]).

Education

The education sector includes all policies related to providing education to people in educational settings, such as childcare centres, schools, and universities (e.g. Physical and Sport Education policy by the State of Victoria, Australia, which states that it is mandatory for all government schools to conduct sport and physical education [58]).

Transport

The transport sector includes all policies related to the transportation of humans, animals, and goods (e.g. Smarter Travel, A Sustainable Transport Future - A New Transport Policy for Ireland 2009–2020, issued by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, which aims to support and promote active transportation, in particular walking and cycling [59]).

Environment

The environment sector includes all policies relevant to products and services related to the built and natural environment (e.g. Swiss national Environment and Health Action Plan, which aims to double the number of journeys made by bicycles, as they are an example of ecologically sound and health-promoting form of mobility [60]).

Urban/rural planning and design

The urban/rural planning and design sector includes all policies relevant to the design and development of land use, the built environment, and infrastructure in and around urban and rural areas (e.g. Norway’s the Planning and Building Act, which mentions that configuration of physical surroundings affects the opportunities to engage in PA [61]).

Tourism

The tourism sector includes all policies relevant to attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists and organising travel for business and pleasure (e.g. Switzerland Mobility programme, a national-level set of resources for bicycling, walking, hiking, and additional activities, which also provides tourism offers [14]).

Work and employment

The work and employment sector includes all policies relevant to the workplace, paid work, volunteer work outside the volunteer’s household, employment, and retirement (e.g. A guidance document entitled Best practices for the assessment and control of physical hazards by the Government of Alberta, Canada, which states that workers should be encouraged to move around and stand up as much as possible [62]).

Public finance

The public finance sector includes all policies related to allocation of monetary resources (e.g. The Victorian Budget 2018/19 which includes allocation of AUD 22.7 million to improve the active transportation network [63]).

Research

The research sector includes all policies relevant to systematic creation of new knowledge and the use of the current body of knowledge to creatively generate new outcomes. PA-related policies in this sector may indirectly affect PA in the population (e.g. Canada’s Physical Activity and Sport Act, which states that the Minister will take appropriate measures to assist in studies or research related to sport and PA [64] or the decision made by a Ministry of Science to allocate additional funds for research on the effectiveness of population-level PA interventions).

TYPE OF POLICY

Type of a policy according to its format (i.e. written or unwritten) and character (i.e. formal vs. informal and binding vs. non-binding)

Formal written policies

Formal written codes, strategies, plans, decisions, regulations, and directives that have been officially enacted and/or endorsed by the governing body at a given level, such as the national government at the national level or a school board at the institutional level (e.g. Active Victoria, A strategic framework for sport and recreation in Victoria 2017–2021, issued by the Victorian Government, Department of Health and Human Services [65]).

Unwritten formal statements

Official statements made in public by or on behalf of an official representative that were not put in writing (e.g. statement made by Senator Bridget McKenzie, the Australian Minister for Rural Health, Sport and Regional Communications, in her speech at the Australian Local Government Association’s Annual General Assembly about the commitment of the Australian Government to improve PA of people living in regional areas).

Written standards and guidelines

Written policies that guide choices, that is, they only recommend certain behaviours, practices, or processes but do not create an obligation for stakeholder adherence (e.g. Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, issued by the Australian Government, Department of Health [66]).

Formal procedures

Formal actions and processes conducted or authorised by an official body or their representatives that are indicative of the body’s position or commitment regarding PA (e.g. surveillance of PA through the Australian Health Survey commissioned by the Australian Government is an indicator of potential commitment of the Government to support the promotion of PA [67]).

Informal policies

Informal norms, actions, voluntary codes of practice, and processes supported by an official body or their representatives that are indicative of the body’s position or commitment regarding PA (e.g. traffic police implement an informal policy based on an unwritten norm not to fine cyclists who ride bicycles on footpaths in areas where there are no designated bike paths, despite the fact that a formal written policy forbids cycling on footpaths).

STAGE OF POLICY CYCLE

A stage in the life cycle of a policy

Agenda setting

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing the processes of problem identification that require attention from the governing body at a given level (e.g. by the national government at the national level or by a school board at the institutional level). Typical examples of questions include: “What informed the agenda setting for the national PA strategy?”; “What processes were undertaken to set the agenda?”; and “Who participated in the agenda setting?”.

Formulation

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing the processes included in the development of a policy. It may involve various processes such as setting objectives, conducting consultations with stakeholders, selecting possible solutions to a problem defined in the previous stage, or estimating costs. Typical examples of questions include: “What informed the formulation of the national PA strategy?”; and “Who participated in the development of the policy?”.

Endorsement/legitimisation

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing actions and processes directed at endorsing and/or enacting a policy and ensuring that policy has a required political support. Typical examples of questions include: “Which bodies advocated for the adoption of the national PA strategy?”; “Which official body enacted the policy?”; and “How was the policy enacted, that is, did it involve legislative or executive approval or both?”.

Implementation

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing mechanisms and actions used to put a policy into practice. Typical examples of questions include: “Was the policy implemented as intended?”; “How was the policy implemented?”; and “Which bodies participated in the implementation of the policy?”.

Evaluation

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing mechanisms and actions used to appraise a specific policy and its impacts. This stage of the policy cycle should not be confused with assessment as a purpose of policy analysis. Typical examples of questions include: “Did a governmental body or an independent body appointed by the Government appraise the content of the national PA action plan?”; “What procedures are in place for evaluation of the national PA strategy?”; “Was the impact of national PA guidelines determined by an official body?”; and “What formal procedures are in place to determine the impact of the national PA strategy?”.

Maintenance

A stage in the policy cycle defined by continuation of a policy without any changes or with amendments. Typical examples of questions include: “What are the main reasons for the continuation of a policy?”; and “Who made the decision about the policy maintenance?”.

Termination

A stage in the policy cycle encompassing actions and processes related to the decision that policy will be discontinued. Typical examples of questions include: “Why was the national PA strategy terminated?”; “Which processes contributed to its termination?”; and “What are the expected consequences of the termination of the national PA strategy?”.

Succession

A stage in the policy cycle after the termination of a policy. In this stage, the policy in question may or may not be replaced by another policy. Typical examples of questions include: “Which policies replaced the national PA strategy after its end date?”; “Are all aspects of the discontinued PA strategy covered by the new policies?”; and “Why national PA strategy was not replaced with another policy after its end date?”.

SCOPE OF ANALYSIS

The subject matter encompassed by a policy analysis

Availability

Analysis of whether a policy exists or not (e.g. the presence of a national PA plan).

Context

Analysis of the economic, environmental, legal, political, social, and any other circumstances relevant to a policy or a stage of the policy cycle. Typical examples of questions about context would include: “Were there any specific economic circumstances around the development of the national PA strategy?”; “What budget has been allocated for the implementation of the national PA strategy?”; “What was the key stimulus for a policy action (e.g. the European Union encouraged its member states to develop national PA plans, decision maker’s personal involvement in sport and PA promotion, etc.)?”; “What are the dominant values held by the body endorsing the national PA strategy (secular, liberal, conservative, socialist, capitalist, etc.)?”; “What influence does private sector have on policy making process?”; and “Was the local PA policy developed based on the separation of powers doctrine?”.

Processes

Analysis of the procedures, mechanisms, and/or actions in a given stage of the policy cycle. Typical examples of questions include: “What processes did the national PA strategy have to go through to become implemented (e.g. after Minister’s proposal, the strategy was approved by the Parliament; only one ministry approved and issued the strategy; or several ministries issued the strategy but it was not sent to the Parliament etc.)?”; “Which mechanisms are in place to support the dissemination of PA guidelines (e.g. communication strategy)?”; “Which mechanisms were in place in the development stage of the national PA strategy (e.g. the national PA strategy was developed through inter-ministerial discussions and workshops with key stakeholders)?”; and “Did a development process of the national PA strategy allow for suggestions and improvements to be made?”.

Actors

Analysis of the stakeholders in a given stage of the policy cycle. Typical examples of questions include: “Which bodies proposed the national PA strategy?”; “Who were the actors involved in the development of the national PA action plan?”; “Are any non-governmental organisations assisting in the implementation of the national PA strategy?” and “What were the power relations between the actors involved in the development of the national PA strategy?”.

Political will

Analysis of the level of political support and/or commitment to a policy in a given stage of the policy cycle. Typical examples of questions include: “Does the Government hold regular discussions with the aim to support the implementation of national PA policy?”; “Did the Government demonstrate political will to support the implementation of the national PA strategy?”; and “Did any political actor in power publicly express support to the development of the national PA strategy?”.

Content

Analysis of the wording and substantive information included in a specific policy. Typical examples of questions include: “Does the national PA strategy reference specific target groups?”; “Does the national PA strategy have a clear statement on the timeframe for policy implementation?”; “Does the national PA strategy mention joint collaboration at different levels of government (e.g. local, regional, state)?”; “Are the national PA recommendations in your country fully in line with the WHO Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health?”; and “Is the policy content predominantly downstream (education, information) or upstream (legislation, standards, change of the environment)?”.

Effects

Analysis of the economic, environmental, public health, social, and other potential impacts of policy. Typical examples of questions include: “What kind of impact did the national PA strategy have on PA levels?” and “Were there any unintended consequences of the implementation of the national PA strategy?”.