Physical activity as a tool for health promotion: the evolution of international strategies and interventions

Physical activity (PA) has a great potential impact in the prevention and control of noncommunicablediseases. However, epidemiologic data reporting a high percentage ofinactive people, still indicate a scarce perception of PA benefits. Therefore, in the pastdecades, a number of documents has been produced by international organizations withthe aim of changing policies and institutional actions towards the promotion of PA. Severalactions have been put in place and an evolution process in international strategiesfor PA promotion is ongoing. Nevertheless, there is a need to continue updating thesepolicies in light of new knowledge about evidence-based PA health effects. A stimulatingdiscussion about effective PA promotion programs is useful for future planning of interventions.The aim of this work is to report the evolution of international strategies aimedto PA promotion, from early PA recommendations, to the recent WHO Global ActionPlan on Physical Activity 2018-2030.