Research impact: In this position paper of the Erasmus+ funded 2PASS-4Health project we argue that a systems approach, in combination with an asset-based perspective, provides a useful conceptual foundation for the design of effective school-based PA interventions, support for their implementation at scale, and a framework for evaluation that is sensitive to context. We suggest that overreliance on traditional research methods and designs will not yield the evidence required to advance the field. To improve the status quo, we offer several recommendations. These include focusing on the conditions that drive system change; drawing on the best available evidence from both evidence-to-practice and practice-to-evidence methods; using appropriate planning and translational frameworks; adopting a realist view aiming to understand what works, for whom and under what contextual circumstances, and why; and engaging with relevant stakeholders, including the students, by means of participatory co-creation strategies.
Bengoechea, E.G., Woods, C.B., Murtagh, E., Grady, C., Fabre, N., Lhuisset, L., Zunquin, G., Aibar, A., Zaragoza, J., Haerens, L., Verloigne, M., De Cocker, K., Hellebaut, S., Ribeiro, J., Bohn, L., Mota, J., & Bois, J. (2024). Rethinking schools as a setting for physical activity promotion in the 21st Century–A position paper of the working group of the 2PASS-4Health project. Quest. DOI: 10.1080/00336297.2024.2318772
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