Supportive environments for physical activity and the local government agenda: a South Australian example. Australian Health Review 2002;24:178–84

In the promotion of moderate physical activity it is increasingly argued that a supportive physical environment is a key factor, and that local government is ideally placed to play an important role. This study reports on the factors that led one local government to take such a leading role. A semi-structured interview was conducted to find out why a chief executive officer of a local government decided that the creation of supportive environments for physical activity was the core business of council. The results show that key ingredients were that local government should take a strategic rather than an operational focus on the issue, that there should be open organisational structures to allow the various functions of local government to work together, and that there must be appropriate leadership. The findings suggest ways for engaging local government as a key partner in promoting supportive environments that are consistent with literature on policy, organisational structure and leadership theory. Emerging perspectives on physical activity Physical activity and health Current health promotion policy uses the US Surgeon General’s Report on physical activity and health to argue that all adults need to undertake regular, moderate physical activity, which can be accumulated during the day (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1996). The Report argued that the best epidemiologica