title: Getting England to be more physically active: are the Public Health Responsibility Deal's physical activity pledges the answer?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Public Health Responsibility Deal (RD) in England is a public-private partnership involving voluntary pledges between government, industry, and other organisations to improve public health by addressing alcohol, food, health at work, and physical activity. This paper analyses the RD physical activity (PA) pledges in terms of the evidence of their potential effectiveness, and the likelihood that they have motivated actions among organisations that would not otherwise have taken place.
  
  
  METHODS
  We systematically reviewed evidence of the effectiveness of interventions proposed in four PA pledges of the RD, namely, those on physical activity in the community; physical activity guidelines; active travel; and physical activity in the workplace. We then analysed publically available data on RD signatory organisations' plans and progress towards achieving the physical activity pledges, and assessed the extent to which activities among organisations could be attributed to the RD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Where combined with environmental approaches, interventions such as mass media campaigns to communicate the benefits of physical activity, active travel in children and adults, and workplace-related interventions could in principle be effective, if fully implemented. However, most activities proposed by each PA pledge involved providing information or enabling choice, which has limited effectiveness. Moreover, it was difficult to establish the extent of implementation of pledges within organisations, given that progress reports were mostly unavailable, and, where provided, it was difficult to ascertain their relevance to the RD pledges. Finally, 15 % of interventions listed in organisations' delivery plans were judged to be the result of participation in the RD, meaning that most actions taken by organisations were likely already under way, regardless of the RD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Irrespective of the nature of a public health policy to encourage physical activity, targets need to be evidence-based, well-defined, measurable and encourage organisations to go beyond business as usual. RD physical activity targets do not adequately fulfill these criteria.
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. cecile.knai@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knai
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. mark.petticrew@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petticrew
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. Courtney.scott@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. mary-alison.durand@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. Elizabeth.eastmure@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eastmure
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. Lesley.james@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: South Lewisham Practice, 50 Connisborough Crescent, London, SE6 2SP, UK. anushkamehrotra2706@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehrotra
authors.affiliation: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK. Nicholas.mays@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mays
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012919:Social Behavior; D017132:Workplace / Q000706:statistics & numerical data