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Abstract: Objectives : To investigate relationships between physical activities in different domains (leisure time, occupational, domestic, commuting) and health indicators (self-rated health, body mass index). Methods : The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and additional questions on domain specific physical activity were submitted face-to-face to 29,193 individual''s age 15 years and older in the 27 member states of the Europe Union, 2 affiliated nations (Croatia, Turkey), and Cyprus North in 2005 as part of Eurobarometer 64.3. Results : Leisure time physical activity (compared to no leisure time physical activity) was positively associated with self-rated health (males: Odds Ratio (OR)=2.85, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2.27, 3.58; females: OR=2.77, 95% C.I. 2.16, 3.56) and inversely with obesity (males: OR=0.65, 95% C.I. 0.50, 0.83; females: OR=0.46, 95% C.I. 0.34, 0.63). Being in the highest quartile of the total volume of physical activity expressed using metabolic equivalents (in MET-min/week) (compared to being in the lowest quartile) was not related to self-rated health (males: OR=0.99, 95% C.I. 0.81, 1.21; females: OR=1.19, 95% C.I 0.98, 1.43) or obesity (males: OR=1.25, 95% C.I., 0.99, 1.59; females: OR=1.26, 95% C.I. 1.02, 1.57). Gender-specific effects were observed for other domains of physical activity. Analysis on national levels showed pronounced relationships of leisure time physical activity to health indicators. Conclusions : Domains of physical activity being related to health indicators, they may pertain to surveillance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary This paper uses data from a European health promotion evaluation study (MAREPS) to empirically test some fundamental assumptions of health promotion theory. Analysis shows that both the competence of individual actors and the opportunities provided for by health-promoting policies are significant predictors of participation in health promotion action. It also demonstrates effects of health promotion values on such action. Moreover, people's perception of their own political efficacy, e.g. their influence on community decisions that effect their health, turns out to be a significant predictor of self-rated health. In conclusion, the paper encourages further research to investigate the effectiveness of health-promoting policy strategies within a multilevel health promotion framework. As the present results indicate, effective health-promoting policies may create opportunities that enable individuals and communities to increase control over the determinants of health, and thereby improve their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Purpose of the study was to test a theoretical model to assess and develop policies for the promotion of physical activity among older people as part of an international intervention study., Methods: 248 semi-standardized interviews with policy-makers were conducted in 15 European nations. The questionnaire assessed policy-makers' perceptions of organizational goals, resources, obligations, as well as organizational, political and public opportunities in the area of physical activity promotion among older people. In order to develop policies, workshops with policy-makers were conducted. Workshop outputs and outcomes were assessed for four nations nine months after the workshops., Results: Policy assessment: Results of the policy assessment were diverse across nations and policy sectors. For example, organizational goals regarding actions for physical activity promotion were perceived as being most favorably by the sports sector. Organizational obligations for the development of such policies were perceived as being most favorably by the health sector. Policy development: The workshops resulted in different outputs: a national intersectoral action plan (United Kingdom), a national alliance (Sweden), an integrated policy (the Netherlands), and a continuing dialogue (Germany)., Conclusions: Theory-driven policy assessment and policy-maker workshops might be an important means of scientific engagement in policy development for health promotion.

Objectives: This article is the first in a series of four that present data about physical activity in the 15 member states of the European Union collected by the Eurobarometer 58.2. On a descriptive and multivariate level, the analysis investigates the relationship between physical activity and self-rated health in the different nations., Methods: Data were collected in 2002 as part of the Eurobarometer by face-to-face interviews. A total of 16,230 respondents age 15 years and older were interviewed. Sample sizes ranged about 1000 respondents in most nations. Physical activity status (insufficiently active, sufficiently active, and highly active) was assessed using the last 7-days short-version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)., Results: On a descriptive level of analysis, results indicated positive relationships between physical activity status and self-rated health across populations subgroups as divided by age, gender, income, and educational attainment. Also on a multivariate level of analysis, physical activity status was significantly related to a better self-rated health. In an analysis on the national level, some variations in the predictive power of physical activity status for self-rated health could be observed., Conclusion: Results provide some indication for a positive relationship between physical activity, as assessed with the IPAQ, and self-rated health. That in most nations sufficient levels of physical activity were not positively related to self-rated health might be explained by difficulties in assessing moderate forms of physical activity, and also differences of the context (at home, for leisure, at work, for transportation) where physical activity takes place.

Objectives: This article is the second in a series of four that present data about physical activity in the 15 member states of the European Union collected by the Eurobarometer 58.2. The focus of this article is on days of vigorous and moderate physical activity, days of walking, and metabolic equivalence estimates (METs) for total physical activity from 15 member states of the European Union using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)., Methods: Data were collected in 2002 as part of the Eurobarometer by face-to-face interviews. A total of 16,230 respondents age 15 years and older were interviewed. Sample sizes ranged about 1000 respondents in most nations. Physical activity was assessed with the last 7-days short version of the IPAQ., Results: Median METs estimates in hours per week were the highest in The Netherlands (39.43 MET-hours/week), Germany (34.65 MET-hours/week in the eastern part, 33.90 MET-hours/week in the western part), and Luxembourg (31.55 MET-hours/week). The lowest METs estimates were reported in Northern Ireland (11.55 MET-hours/week), Sweden (18.65 MET-hours/week) and France (19.55 MET-hours/week)., Conclusion: A comparison of the results with existing data on physical activity prevalence in the member states indicate some inconsistencies between studies which may be related to measurement problems, as well as to conceptual differences in the assessment of physical activity.

Objectives: The conditions under which research utilization leads to policy impact are an important issue in health promotion. This analysis tests the assumption that utilization is positively associated with policy impact only if both political will (i.e., policy opportunities) and social strategies (in intervention and implementation) are present., Methods: A survey of 719 policymakers involved in four policies was conducted in six European countries. Policy impact (output, i.e., program implementation, and outcome, i.e., effects on behavior) and its proposed determinants were analyzed., Results: Regression analyses reveal limited cross-national differences in research utilization, but show comparably high use in policies with a pathogenic focus. Utilization is associated with impact only if political will is lacking; for outcome, this tends to depend on social strategies. Political will is the strongest determinant of impact., Conclusions: Research utilization is not supporting health promotion policy impact if political will is favorable, but if it is poor; political will itself is the crucial determinant of impact. The study contributes to the "research utilization"-field by showing that research utilization may partially compensate for lack of, rather than depend on, political will.

Objectives: The main objective of this paper is to describe the approach and specific findings of the European Physical Activity Surveillance System (EUPASS) research project. In particular, the analysis presented aims at testing the reliability, comparability and predictive power of different sets of physical activity (PA) indicators., Design: First, a panel study based on computer-aided telephone interview (CATI) was designed to report PA data of a representative, selected group of about 100 persons per country at three points in time. Second, a CATI time series survey was carried out with the goal of realising about 100 interviews per month over six consecutive months., Setting: The project was carried out in eight European countries to support the development of the European Union's (EU) Health Monitoring Programme., Subjects: Random population samples (subjects aged 18 years and older) were drawn from each participating country., Results: While many PA indicators used in EU countries to date as well as the psychosocial and environmental measures tested in the present study had acceptable to good reliability coefficients, the test-retest reliability scores of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) version tested (the short (last 7 days) telephone interview IPAQ; IPAQ-S7T) were rather low. The comparability between extant national PA items and the IPAQ-S7T was low for all countries. The strongest predictors of perceived health were the psychosocial and environmental PA indicators., Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, more research is needed to further investigate and improve the quality of the IPAQ. In addition, the specific predictive power of the tested psychosocial and environmental PA indicators on perceived health should be of particular interest for designing health surveillance activities in the future.

Objectives: This article will use a new theoretical framework for the analysis of health policy impact introduced by Rütten et al. (2003). In particular, it will report on a comparative European study of policymakers' perception and evaluation of specific determinants of the policy impact, both in terms of output (implemented measures) and outcome (health behaviour change). Policy determinants investigated are goals, resources, obligations and opportunities as related to the policymaking process., Methods: Theory is applied to a comparative analysis of prevention and health promotion policy in Belgium, Finland, Germany. The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. The study is MED2-part of a project that has developed a Methodology for the Analysis of the Rationality and Effectiveness of Prevention and Health Promotion Strategies (MAREPS) within the EU-BIO-program. A mail survey of 719 policymakers on the executive and administrative level selected by a focused sample procedure was conducted. This survey used policymakers' experience and evaluative expertise to analyse determinants of policy output and outcome., Results: Regression analyses reveal differential predictive power of policy goals, resources, obligations, as well as of political, organisational and public opportunities. For instance, whereas resources, concreteness of goals, and public opportunities have significant importance for health outcome of policy, obligations and organisational opportunities significantly predict policy output., Conclusions: Results are discussed in terms of rationality and effectiveness of health policy. They indicate that six sensitising constructs derived from the theoretical framework represent equivalent structures across nations. They comprise a validated instrument that can be used for further comparative health policy research.