Selecting an evidence-based physical activity program to address population levels of physical inactivity

As part of the I-PARC 2.0 initiative, Work Package 1 (WP1) focuses on developing a comprehensive online repository of Irish-based Physical Activity Programmes (PAPs). This will serve as a go-to resource for evidence-based and promising interventions that can support population-level increases in physical activity.

The I-PARC PAP Repository will host detailed information on a wide range of community-based programmes. For each programme, we aim to capture its essential components, operational definitions, underlying theory of change, working mechanisms, and evidence of effectiveness. This repository will be made freely available through the upcoming I-PARC 2.0 Platform and will support five city-based implementation sites – Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford – in selecting and tailoring the most suitable PAP for their communities.

Repository Development: What We’ve Found So Far

To date, 123 community-based PAPs have been identified through national scoping and stakeholder input. Of these, 21 programmes (17%) are supported by peer-reviewed evidence of effectiveness and are considered the most promising options for scaling up. These evidence-informed programmes span:

• Children and adolescents: 7 programmes

• Older adults: 5 programmes

• Adults (18+): 2 programmes

• Unspecified or mixed age groups: 6 programmes

• Other/uncategorised: 1 programme

The programmes vary widely in modality (e.g. walking, resistance training, home-based activities), delivery formats (group, individual, hybrid), and design quality (clarity on core components, accessibility of evidence, scalability potential). This highlights the diversity of what’s currently available, but also reveals clear gaps — particularly in adult-focused and well-evaluated interventions that could be readily scaled across different settings. These findings underscore the need for stronger evaluation practices and more consistent use of evidence-based frameworks in Irish physical activity programming.

Co-Design in Action: Local Workshops

To date, WP1 has successfully delivered multi-stakeholder workshops in each of the five implementation sites. These were co-facilitated by the I-PARC team in close partnership with the Active Cities leads. In preparation, each Active City department identified four PAPs from the physical activity repository relevant to their local context. The purpose of the workshops was to guide stakeholders through a structured decision-making process to explore which of these PAPs was most appropriate for local implementation.

Each workshop focused on three core areas:

• Alignment with local needs

• Feasibility of delivery

• Equity and inclusiveness of the programme

Using a participatory approach, stakeholders then ranked the PAPs in order of preference via live voting (using Mentimeter). The top two interventions from each city are now being brought forward to the next stage.

Workshops to date have been very well attended, with over 100 representatives from across a wide range of sectors including:

• Physical activity and sport development

• Health promotion

• Education

• Social inclusion

• Interagency collaborations

• Local government and community-based organisations

Stakeholders included teachers, social inclusion staff, community health workers, Healthy Communities representatives, project managers, and more.

Participant feedback forms were distributed at the end of each workshop and are currently being analysed. In addition, debrief meetings were held with the I-PARC core team and Active Cities partners to reflect on lessons learned and strengthen planning for the next stages.

What’s Next: Community Voice & Final Selection

The next step in WP1 is to gather the views of citizens through a series of focus groups with target populations, such as children, adolescents, older adults, or other priority groups, depending on each city’s focus. These discussions will help assess the acceptability, relevance, and perceived impact of the top-ranked PAPs from the stakeholder workshops.

Insights from both stakeholder and citizen perspectives will inform the final selection of one PAP per city. These chosen programmes will then move forward to Work Package 2, which involves adapting and tailoring the selected interventions to fit each city’s context. This includes identifying and addressing any potential barriers to implementation, and developing mitigation strategies to ensure each intervention is locally relevant, feasible, and sustainable.