IMPAQT

The project “Improving Physical Activity Policies and their Impact on Health Equity (IMPAQT)” is a European research project with partners in six countries (Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania) and a total funding volume of 1.7 million euros.

The aim of IMPAQT is to promote health equity through physical activity promoting policies. This is to be achieved through the further development and application of a policy monitoring instrument, the Physical Activity Environment Policy Index (PA-EPI). The PA-EPI consists of 45 good practice statements covering various political sectors (including health, sport, transport, urban planning) and structural aspects of physical activity promotion (including surveillance, intersectoral networking, policy evaluation) (see figure, link).

IMPAQT is structured into seven work packages (WPs), two of which are led by the FAU: The systematic integration of health equity in all work packages of IMPAQT (WP 1) and the adaptation of the PA-EPI to the subnational level (WP 2). In WP 3-6, FAU will apply the PA-EPI in Germany; this includes a systematic collection of existing policies, a validation by political actors and a participatory process with an expert and a citizen council. The outcome of this process is the development of recommendations for policy development to enhance physical activity promotion in Germany. All six partners will present the results of this project at a closing event at EU level.

IMPAQT is funded within the ERA4Health Partnership’s funding programme ‘HealthEquity’, the German part of the project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Project duration: 04/2024 –03/2027
Funding: Federal Ministery of Education and Research (BMBF), as part of the EU-Partnership ERA4Health (Horizon Europe)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sven Messing
Project team: Leonie Birkholz, Dr. Antonina Tcymbal, PD Dr. Karim Abu-Omar