| Institution: | 1. Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health, De Boelelaan 1089a, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands;2. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3508 AB Utrecht, the Netherlands;3. Physical Activity for Health Research Cluster, Health Research Institute, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland;4. Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Achterstrasse 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany;5. Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;6. Ulm University, Division of Sports and Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Medicine, Leimgrubenweg 14, 89075 Ulm, Germany;7. HRB Centre for Health and Diet Research, School of Public Health, University College Cork, Western Rd, 4th Floor, Western Gateway Building, Cork, Ireland;8. Utrecht University, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Padualaan 14, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands;9. Institute of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany;10. SWPS University, Wroclaw Faculty of Psychology, 30b Ostrowskiego St, 53-258 Wroclaw, Poland;11. Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Belle Arti 41, 40126 Bologna, Italy;12. University College Dublin, School of Public Health Physiotherapy and Sports Science, Woodview House Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;13. Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Public Health, Vening Meinesz Building A, Princetonlaan 8A, 3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands;14. VU University Amsterdam, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands;15. Oslo Metropolitan University, Consumption Research Norway, P.O. Box 4 St. Olavs plass, N-0130 Oslo, Norway;p. Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Public Health, PO Box 3000, Rotterdam, the Netherlands;q. Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Narutowicza 11, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland;r. University of Bremen, Institute of Statistics, Bibliothekstrasse 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany |
| Abstract: | Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality. As the social and economic costs of NCDs have escalated, action is needed to tackle important causes of many NCD’s: low physical activity levels and unhealthy dietary behaviours. As these behaviours are driven by upstream factors, successful policy interventions are required that encourage healthy dietary behaviours, improve physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behaviours of entire populations. However, to date, no systematic research on the implementation and evaluation of policy interventions related to these health behaviours has been conducted across Europe. Consequently, no information on the merit, gaps, worth or utility of cross-European policy interventions is available, and no guidance or recommendations on how to enhance this knowledge across European countries exists. As part of the Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JPI HDHL), 28 research institutes from seven European countries and New Zealand have combined their expertise to form the Policy Evaluation Network (PEN). PEN’s aim is to advance tools to identify, evaluate, implement and benchmark policies designed to directly or indirectly target dietary behaviours, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour in Europe, as well as to understand how these policies increase or decrease health inequalities. Using well-defined evaluation principles and methods, PEN will examine the content, implementation and impact of policies addressing dietary behaviour, physical activity levels and sedentary behaviour across Europe. It will realise the first steps in a bespoke health policy monitoring and surveillance system for Europe, and refine our knowledge of appropriate research designs and methods for the quantification of policy impact. It will contribute to our understanding of how to achieve successful transnational policy implementation and monitoring of these policies in different cultural, demographic or socioeconomic settings. PEN will consider equity and diversity aspects to ensure that policy actions are inclusive and culturally sensitive. Finally, based on three policy cases, PEN will illustrate how best to evaluate the implementation and impact of such policies in order to yield healthy diets and activity patterns that result in healthier lives for all European citizens. |
