Co-designing a PhysicaL Activity policy TOolkit (PLATO) with key policymakers from 27 EU member states

Physical inactivity is a global problem, causing more than 5.3 million premature deaths per year worldwide.

Both WHO and EU recognize the importance of public policies and recommend specific policy actions to promote physical activity (PA); however, these policies remain ineffective if they are not implemented properly.

To collect data on PA policy development, different tools are currently in use; most prominently EU’s PA Monitoring Framework.

However, there is a lack of knowledge on how to use PA policy monitoring as a lever to impact policymaking to reduce inactivity.This fellowship aims to co-design a toolkit for improving the impact of PA policy monitoring on national policymaking.

As I have an interdisciplinary research profile with a dissertation in political science and a track record in PA policy research, I am in an excellent position to advance the state of the art by (1) co-assessing the impact of PA policy monitoring on the policy-making process, (2) comparatively mapping PA policy monitoring tools based on political science theory and (3) co-designing a PA policy toolkit with key policymakers from all 27 EU member states.My host team at the University of Limerick has a high expertise in PA policy research and recently led the development of a new tool for PA policy monitoring.

I will have access to training programmes that enhance my interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills, e.g. with regards to the co-production of knowledge.

I will also gain relevant insights into PA policymaking in Ireland (secondment at a government agency) and Europe (non-academic placement at WHO).As WHO is tasked to coordinate data collection within the EU PA Monitoring Framework, this is an ideal opportunity to exploit the results of the fellowship.

My further dissemination, exploitation and communication activities will also highlight the societal impact of PA promotion (e.g., in the context of the EU4Health programme, the European Green Deal, and UN's SDGs).