Edinburgh Napier University

  Increasing population levels of physical activity (PA) can assist in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals,
benefiting multiple sectors and contributing to global prosperity. Practices and policies to increase PA levels exist at the
subnational, national, and international levels. In 2018, the World Health Organization launched the first Global Action Plan on
Physical Activity (GAPPA). The GAPPA provides guidance through a framework of effective and feasible policy actions for
increasing PA, and requires engagement and advocacy from a wide spectrum of stakeholders for successful implementation
of the proposed actions. Early career professionals, including researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, can play a major
role with helping “all people being regularly active” by contributing to 4 overarching areas: (1) generation—of evidence,
(2) dissemination—of key messages and evidence, (3) implementation—of the evidence-based actions proposed in the GAPPA,
and (4) contributing to advocacy for robust national action plans on PA. The contribution of early career professionals can be
achieved through 5 pathways: (1) research, (2) workplace/practice, (3) business, (4) policy, and (5) professional and public
opinion. Recommendations of how early career professionals can contribute to the generation, dissemination, and implementation of the evidence and actions proposed by the GAPPA are provided.