Dani had the opportunity to contribute to a global physical activity document!

Taken from the July 25th Healthy Caribbean Coalition Roundup:

Physical Activity and Primary Health Care Go Hand in Hand

World Cancer Research Fund - 4th Building Momentum report: establishing robust policies to promote physical activity in primary healthcare.

In June 2023, the World Cancer Research Fund International launched its 4th Building Momentum report: establishing robust policies to promote physical activity in primary healthcare. The report highlights the emerging evidence for the benefits of promoting physical activity in primary healthcare, and explains why designing and enacting such policies is good for individual health and economies.

The Caribbean region has one of the highest rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the world. Considering the recently launched Bridgetown Declarationwhich highlighted SIDS leadership’s ongoing commitment to reduce NCDS and Jamaica’s Minister of Health’s Christopher Tufton’s timely call for NCDs to be designated a ‘public health emergency’, the region is in a place to explore and embrace innovative approaches to address NCDs while also prioritizing the development and strengthening of strong policy-protected systems that support and sustain NCD prevention and control, especially within the primary healthcare setting.

What can physical activity promotion look like in the Primary Healthcare setting? According to the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity, one of the key actions under creating “active people” is to:  “Implement and strengthen systems of patient assessment and counselling on increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour, by appropriately trained health, community and social care providers, as appropriate, in primary and secondary health care and social services, as part of universal health care, ensuring community and patient involvement and coordinated links with community resources, where appropriate.”

Assessment or screening often refers to collection of basic information on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Brief interventions or counselling can often range from a conversation with the healthcare professional and patient about the changing exposure to physical activity to prescription (specific and often personalized physical activity recommendation which can include prescribing an amount of exercise but is more often a formal referral) and even a referral (patient referred to a professional either within or external to the health system for further discussion on motivation and options, and a decision on what activity is appropriate.

The report, which is intended to be used as an advocacy tool, provides an overview of the evidence to support physical activity promotion in primary healthcare, foundational policy processes for effective physical activity policies in primary healthcare (eg. using evidence, building shared policy understanding and objectives, implementing context specific intervention and prioritizing equity) and components of effective policies (eg. facilitating primary healthcare professional training and capacity building, strengthening healthcare system capacity to facilitate physical activity promotion, collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure a supportive physical activity environment for patients etc).

Danielle Walwyn, the HCC Advocacy Officer was pleased to have been able to contribute to the report. She highlighted how the Caribbean is working toward implementing the report recommendations through local ‘Moves’ efforts which have in some instances begun to promote and normalize physical activity within primary health care settings and trained relevant personnel to potentially facilitate and help patients fulfill their ‘exercise prescription’.

The relaunch of Caribbean Moves is a key opportunity for the region to revisit successful physical activity promotion practices and policy interventions while also considering adapting new ones like those promoted in the report. The tool can be used to begin or accelerate conversations on NCD prevention and control, especially those that center on policy development and strengthening the primary health care system through a whole of society approach.