Table 2 Suggestions for future iterations of the NPAP

Link the NPAP tactics to examples, resources, and lessons learned

“I don't know if there are specific programs linked anywhere, like on their website…. If there was some way to connect with programs that already exist so states could replicate, that would be helpful.”

“I do think the messages need to be simplified with some great local examples and then a couple of resources where people can go.”

“I think examples from other states that have used the plan in various sectors and how they’ve been able to … like the different strategies and tactics used and the lessons learned.”

“…if they have any implementation pieces, but there’s some specific story examples. Those tend to be the most powerful things for me… those stories of people that have had success are key I think.”

“I guess maybe we’ve been living in these strategies for quite a while, it’s almost to the point now where we want to have some direct examples we can give people for implementation.”

“I think part of it is it's difficult to find that there are really tools in it to help with planning or implementing the tactics that they outline… [such as] resources that helped you plan or implement the tactics that are outlined.”

Provide shorter synopsis documents of the plan

“I’d like to see … a synopsis… Because whenever I go to places and provide information on the plan, of course I’m not going to bring it with me, it’s so huge, and I give the website so people can download it if they’d like, but I’d like to have like a little synopsis of the plan that would be like maybe a one page, maybe two if you turned it over, that would give a nice little synopsis of it, something that we could take around with us whenever we give information on the plan would be very helpful.”

Tools to communicate with partners outside of public health

“…is how to talk about the National Physical Activity Plan to outside partners. So let’s say if I’m talking to the Department of Transportation to see what are some tools that I can get to kind of talk about the plan and talk about how Public Health intersects with Transportation and how to use the Physical Activity Plan. Or if I’m talking to the Department of Recreation, how to use this too, how to talk about the Plan. So just basically some tools to be able to communicate with other sectors on how we can use this plan for mutual benefit.”

Provide sample work plans using SMART objectives that use the NPAP strategies and tactics

“…if there were a sample like work plan section … that would have some examples of how to use the objectives in the plan and to have them written in like a SMART objective as an example that could be used for work plans for grants for example, that sort of thing. Or ideas on how to use the strategy in real life events.”

Webinars

“You know, webinars are always really useful, I think. I’m very knowledgeable about what the plan contains, but when you try to explain that to our local health department personnel, a lot of them don’t have the background in public health.”

Encourage other organizations to use the plan

“…put in there that part of the requirement is that … you need to incorporate some of the National Physical Activity Plan language in that grant application will help make that stronger, or they’re going to have to look at it as part of their guidance, or use it as a guidance.”

“I think it would be helpful if the national organizations refer to it more often. I think that would increase the credibility of it.”

Marketing

“I think there needs to be a better marketing plan somehow.”

Evaluation

“I think the best thing that the National Plan could do would be to come up with some measures, some indicators and some evaluation measurements that they feel should be measured across the United States. And so that we could all be measuring similar things so that we can actually get a picture of what’s going on, because if we each have different indicators and different evaluations, measurements, I don’t think we’re going to be able to compare across states.”

“I’m sure it [the NPAP] talks about evaluation somewhere, but I don’t see that it really gives you any information on where to find that.”

Identify the costs of tactics

“So this is a low cost intervention, this is the medium cost, this is the higher level cost. So then you have two pieces. You have the people that have actually done it, the stories coming from the field. And then … if it’s a municipal or a school, they want to see low cost. They don’t have the money to put into it. So if you kind of highlighted both of those things, successful things that don’t cost a lot of money, I think that would be a lot of bang for the buck.”