Everything counts in sending the right message: science-based messaging implications from the 2020 WHO guidelines on phy
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COMMENTARY
Open Access
Everything counts in sending the right message: science-based messaging implications from the 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour Michelle L. Segar1* , Marta M. Marques2, Antonio L. Palmeira3,4 and Anthony D. Okely5,6
Abstract The World Health Organization (WHO) released the 2020 global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The new guidelines contain a significant change from the 2010 guidelines on physical activity for adults and older adults that has important implications for next-generation physical activity messaging: The removal of the need for aerobic activity to occur in bouts of at least 10 min duration. This change in the guidelines provides an opportunity to communicate in new ways that align with behavioural science, permitting physical activity communicators and promoters to better support people’s psychological needs, motivation, and ability to fit healthy levels of physical activity into their lives. The frames and messages we use to communicate about the guidelines matter because they influence whether activity is perceived as relevant, meaningful, and feasible – or not. When developing new physical activity communications there are some overarching principles, based on behavioural science, to keep in mind. Using established theory, this commentary aims to support the creation of more strategic frames and messages for increasing the value and integration of physical activity into daily living. Country-specific physical activity campaigns using these ideas will be discussed. Keywords: Physical activity, Guidelines, Messaging, Framing, Communication, Self-determination theory
Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the 2020 global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour [1, 2]. The primary goal of the guidelines is to summarize science showing the doseresponse relationship between physical activity and health. As noted by Milton et al., [3] it is important to distinguish between the actual guidelines and communicating about the guidelines to the public. Thus, * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 The Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center, University of Michigan, 204. S. State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
communication and messaging strategies are needed to disseminate the guidelines in ways that attract the public’s attention and also support the psychological needs associated with physical activity participation [4–6]. This commentary focuses on one core change in the new guidelines for adults and older adults that offers a valuable communication opportunity for next-generation physical activity messaging: The removal of the need for aerobic activity to occur in bouts of at least 10 min duration. This change opens the door to improve how we communicate about physical activity in a way that better aligns with motivation and behavioural science.
© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is lic
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