Policy of Promoting Physical Activity in Schools : Stakeholders’ Prospective

Physical inactivity is a significant global public health concern. The purpose of this study was to lay the foundation for adopting policies that encourage physical activity in classrooms. By evaluating stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, practices, and opinions regarding different policy options encouraging physical activity in schools, the goal is to provide policymakers and stakeholders with relevant information. Individuals aged 15 years and older were invited to participate in the study. The survey included five sections (demographic, participants’ physical activity recommendations and policy knowledge, participants’ attitudes toward physical activity in schools, current physical activity practices and available infrastructure in schools, and participants’ opinions about the applicability of physical activity policy options). Thousand six hundred and ninety seven participants (parents 49.9%, teachers 27.6%, students 21.7%, and other 0.8%) completed the survey. Physical activity knowledge was 41.5% ± 15.8%. This indicates that the respondents were able to answer three out of eight questions correctly on average. The attitude toward physical activity promotion in schools favored a positive attitude (91.8 ± 14.0). Teachers scored on average 55.0 ± 25.3 out of 100 in the physical activity promotion practice questions. Lastly, respondents indicated positive responses (65.4 ± 25.6) in the applicability of the proposed physical activity promotion in schools’ policy options. Conclusion: The survey findings highlight the urgent need to improve physical activity-related knowledge, attitudes, practices, and policies. Inclusive policy frameworks, tailored educational interventions, and regional adjustments are needed. To gain a deeper understanding of the changing attitudes and practices surrounding the promotion of physical exercise, future research might conduct a qualitative evaluation.