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Background and Purpose: In 2012 the Danish government initiated the biggest reshaping of public schools in forty years. From the very early discussions, key stakeholders agreed on that children and youth should be more physically active during school-day in order to promote health and well-being and to support motivation and learning in school subjects. Thus, the most recent political debates and national decision-making in relation to the Danish school-system indicates that, from the beginning of the 2000s to the present, physical activity has gone from occupying a stable, but relatively peripheral position in the school curriculum to emerge as one of the key elements in the work to promote children's health, well-being and learning. Methods: Building on theories of public policy, the presentation analyzes core aspects of political decision-making processes from the most recent history of Physical Education (PE) and school sport in Denmark. The presentation focuses on the policy formulation and implementation stages of a given policy-making process in which key issues are identified, made the subject of opinion-forming and dealt with through the formulation of political objectives and, finally, put into effect. Such a division is analytical. In practice, the stages overlap and all affect the final policy outcomes. The presentation builds on a range of written material that in a broader or narrower sense can be regarded as public. Material from the daily press constitutes a key source. Results and discussion: The presentation consists of two parts. First, the defining policy trends and processes on school PE during the period 2012-2017 is described. This is followed by a section on the current 2018-situation – focusing on the actual implementation level of the latest school reform. Finally, part one and two are compared to assess the directions Danish PE and school sport might develop in the future.

Background: Although important syntheses and theoretical works exist in relation to understanding the organisational factors that facilitate research use, these contributions differ in their scope and object of study as well as their theoretical underpinnings. Therefore, from an exploratory angle, it may be useful to map out the current literature on organisational factors of research use in public health policy-making when revisiting existing theories and frameworks to gain further theoretical insights. Methods: Herein, a scoping review technique and thematic content analysis were used to bring together findings from both synthesised and empirical studies of different types to map out the organisational factors that facilitate research use in public health policy-making. Results: A total of 14 reviews and 40 empirical studies were included in the analysis. These were thematically coded and the intra-organisational factors reported as enabling research use were examined. Five main categories of organisational factors that advance research use in policy organisations - (1) individual factors, (2) the management of research integration, (3) organisational systems and infrastructures of research use, (4) institutional structures and rules for policy-making, and (5) organisational characteristics - were derived as well as 18 subcategories and a total of 64 specific factors, where 27 factors were well supported by research. Conclusions: Using a scoping review methodology, the intra-organisational factors influencing research use in policy-making (including individual factors) were systematically mapped and the theories applied in this area of research were assessed. The review findings confirm the importance of an intra-organisational perspective when exploring research use, showing that many organisational factors are critical facilitators of research use but also that many factors and mechanisms are understudied. The synthesis shows a lack of studies on politicians and the need for more theoretically founded research. Despite increased efforts to update the existing evidential and theoretical basis of research use, we still need frameworks that combine different approaches and theories to help us grasp the complex organisational mechanisms that facilitate research use in policy settings.

Background: Although important syntheses and theoretical works exist in relation to understanding the organisational factors that facilitate research use, these contributions differ in their scope and object of study as well as their theoretical underpinnings. Therefore, from an exploratory angle, it may be useful to map out the current literature on organisational factors of research use in public health policy-making when revisiting existing theories and frameworks to gain further theoretical insights.Methods: Herein, a scoping review technique and thematic content analysis were used to bring together findings from both synthesised and empirical studies of different types to map out the organisational factors that facilitate research use in public health policy-making.Results: A total of 14 reviews and 40 empirical studies were included in the analysis. These were thematically coded and the intra-organisational factors reported as enabling research use were examined. Five main categories of organisational factors that advance research use in policy organisations – (1) individual factors, (2) the management of research integration, (3) organisational systems and infrastructures of research use, (4) institutional structures and rules for policy-making, and (5) organisational characteristics – were derived as well as 18 subcategories and a total of 64 specific factors, where 27 factors were well supported by research.Conclusions: Using a scoping review methodology, the intra-organisational factors influencing research use in policy-making (including individual factors) were systematically mapped and the theories applied in this area of research were assessed. The review findings confirm the importance of an intra-organisational perspective when exploring research use, showing that many organisational factors are critical facilitators of research use but also that many factors and mechanisms are understudied. The synthesis shows a lack of studies on politicians and the need for more theoretically founded research. ...

BACKGROUND: In 2014, the Danish Government introduced a wide-ranging school reform that applied to all public schools in Denmark. A distinctive feature of the reform was that it became mandatory to implement an average of 45 min of daily physical activity within the curriculum. Using the RE-AIM framework as an evaluation tool, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of mandatory physical activity within the curriculum at ten Danish schools. METHODS: A complementary mixed-methods approach using accelerometers, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews was conducted. A total of 10 schools were invited to participate, including 846 students, 76 teachers, and 10 school managers on various levels. Students were invited to wear an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Teachers were invited to participate in a questionnaire, and school managers were encouraged to take part in a semi-structured interview. RESULTS: Results showed that, on average, 45.2% of the students were active at least 45 min daily within the curriculum. Teacher and school management interest in physical activity, competencies development, and shared decision-making were identified as central factors for adoption of the requirement. Scheduling physical activity within scheduels and collaborations with external parties were found to influence implementation. Finally, internal coordination, motivated school staff, and school management priority were identified as central factors for maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an evaluation on a nationwide physical activity requirement in Danish public schools. When introducing a wide-ranging nation-wide requirement on physical activity within the curriculum, school managers need to prioritize and support the implementation process. Teachers need to be involved in the decision processes in order to ensure motivation and local ownership. The study also highlights the benefits of an internal coordinator as well as ...

Background: In 2014, the Danish Government introduced a wide-ranging school reform that applied to all public schools in Denmark. A distinctive feature of the reform was that it became mandatory to implement an average of 45 min of daily physical activity within the curriculum. Using the RE-AIM framework as an evaluation tool, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of mandatory physical activity within the curriculum at ten Danish schools. Methods: A complementary mixed-methods approach using accelerometers, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews was conducted. A total of 10 schools were invited to participate, including 846 students, 76 teachers, and 10 school managers on various levels. Students were invited to wear an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Teachers were invited to participate in a questionnaire, and school managers were encouraged to take part in a semi-structured interview. Results: Results showed that, on average, 45.2% of the students were active at least 45 min daily within the curriculum. Teacher and school management interest in physical activity, competencies development, and shared decision-making were identified as central factors for adoption of the requirement. Scheduling physical activity within scheduels and collaborations with external parties were found to influence implementation. Finally, internal coordination, motivated school staff, and school management priority were identified as central factors for maintenance. Conclusions: This study provides an evaluation on a nationwide physical activity requirement in Danish public schools. When introducing a wide-ranging nation-wide requirement on physical activity within the curriculum, school managers need to prioritize and support the implementation process. Teachers need to be involved in the decision processes in order to ensure motivation and local ownership. The study also highlights the benefits of an internal coordinator as well as development of a shared strategy among schools, municipalities, and other stakeholders in order to succeed with the implementation.

This article analyses the use of research evidence (RE) in three policy processes, at the local level, dealing with physical activity. We analysed an extensive number of policy documents and a total of 14 interviews with policymakers. Results show an unsystematic way of using RE, where demographic and statistical data as well as expert consultation were mostly used. Lack of transparency of RE use complicated the tracking of sources from introduction to actual policy impact. It can be concluded that the policymakers engaged in health issues have a wider use of RE than the policymakers working with more sports-oriented issues.

Background: The present study aims to test out contextually tailored interventions to increase evidence-informed health-enhancing physical activity policy-making in two Danish municipalities.Methods: The study was performed as experiments in natural settings. Based on results from a pre-intervention study defining the needs and contexts of the two settings, the interventions were developed based on logical models. The interventions aimed at increasing the use of knowledge in policy-making, primarily via strengthening intersectoral collaboration. The interventions were evaluated via pre-, post- and 12-month follow-up questionnaires and qualitative interviews were carried out prior to the intervention start.Results: The use of knowledge changed in several ways. In one municipality, the use of stakeholder and target group knowledge increased whereas, in the other municipality, the use of research knowledge increased. In both municipalities, the ability to translate knowledge to local context, the political request and the organisational procedures for use of knowledge increased during the interventions. There was some variation between the two settings, which shows the importance of tailoring to context. Most of the changes were diminished at the 12-month follow-up.Conclusion: Contextually tailored interventions have the potential to increase evidence-informed policy-making on health-enhancing physical activity. However, this finding needs to be tested in larger samples and its sustainability must be strengthened.

Background: The present study aims to test out contextually tailored interventions to increase evidence-informed health-enhancing physical activity policy-making in two Danish municipalities. Methods: The study was performed as experiments in natural settings. Based on results from a pre-intervention study defining the needs and contexts of the two settings, the interventions were developed based on logical models. The interventions aimed at increasing the use of knowledge in policy-making, primarily via strengthening intersectoral collaboration. The interventions were evaluated via pre-, post- and 12-month follow-up questionnaires and qualitative interviews were carried out prior to the intervention start. Results: The use of knowledge changed in several ways. In one municipality, the use of stakeholder and target group knowledge increased whereas, in the other municipality, the use of research knowledge increased. In both municipalities, the ability to translate knowledge to local context, the political request and the organisational procedures for use of knowledge increased during the interventions. There was some variation between the two settings, which shows the importance of tailoring to context. Most of the changes were diminished at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusion: Contextually tailored interventions have the potential to increase evidence-informed policy-making on health-enhancing physical activity. However, this finding needs to be tested in larger samples and its sustainability must be strengthened.

The interventions were on physical activity policies at initiation phase; Kolding eight-month workshop and guidance intervention (n = 21 team members) aimed to promote inter-sector collaboration; Varde 10-month working group and guidance intervention (n = 11) aimed to facilitate systematic strategy development in research knowledge use and inter-sector collaboration.