Empowering Health: Innovative Strategies to Successfully Increase Physical Activity Promotion in Brazilian Primary Health Care Settings.

Abstract

Background: Implementation of physical activity (PA) initiatives within the scope of Primary Health Care (PHC) is still a challenge for the field of public health. It is necessary to consolidate operational processes to promote PA in the daily lives of patients in PHC. The use of implementation science has significant potential for advancing PA initiatives.

Methods: The present study is a methodological study, which includes a macroproject titled "Saúde a Partir de Atividades Físicas Exitosas-SAFE Research." The project is organized by 5 steps, and a descriptive manuscript about an intervention as well, to increase, or promote PA in a community settings.

Results: Eight strategies have been developed, related to the attributes of a successful PA promotion initiative in PHC (autonomy, participation, planning, replication, and sustainability), and the dimensions of RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance). Each strategy presents a set of processes that can be systematically operationalized to make the PA initiative more successful.

Conclusion: The strategies were based on practical experiences in the PHC context in Brazil, which can potentially be replicated in low- and middle-income countries. These strategies make it possible to cover other initiatives in the field of health promotion so that they can be implemented in an organized, systematized way and with robust processes in community interventions.