IMPAQT Germany gathers input from 95 researchers, policymakers and practitioners
An online workshop hosted by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) brought together 95 representatives from academia, policy, and practice as part of the IMPAQT project. The event marked the start of a joint process to develop policy recommendations aimed at strengthening physical activity promotion in Germany, drawing on a comprehensive evidence document developed within the project.
Following a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Klaus Pfeifer, Dr. Sven Messing and Leonie Birkholz presented the objectives, methodology, and initial findings of the IMPAQT project. IMPAQT is a European research initiative involving partners in six countries – Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania – with a total funding volume of €1.68 million. The project seeks to improve the implementation of policies for physical activity promotion and enhance their impact on health equity through the further development and application of the Physical Activity Environment Policy Index (PA-EPI).
The Physical Activity Environment Policy Index consists of 45 evidence-based good practice statements and covers a wide range of policy domains, including health, transport, sport, and education. Using the PA-EPI, researchers at FAU systematically documented existing policy measures and their implementation in Germany in a detailed evidence document. This document had been reviewed for completeness by 28 government representatives in winter 2025/26.
A key component of the workshop were six interactive breakout sessions, which enabled in-depth discussions on policy actions needed to strengthen physical activity promotion in Germany. These discussions were informed by sector-specific summaries from the evidence document. In each breakout session, participants developed policy recommendations to address current challenges within their respective sectors.
At the end of the workshop, an online survey was launched to assess the extent of physical activity policy implementation in Germany and to gather additional policy recommendations. The proposed recommendations were subsequently prioritised by the participating stakeholders. Preliminary results were fed back into relevant national processes such as the revision of Germany‘s National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion, a process involving around 120 stakeholders
