The health benefits of physical activity (PA) are acknowledged and promoted by the scientific community, especially within primary care. However, there is little evidence that such promotion is provided in any consistent or comprehensive format. Brief interventions (i.e. discussion, negotiation or encouragement) and exercise referral schemes (i.e. patients being formally referred to a PA professional) are the two dominant approaches within primary care. These cost-effective interventions can generate positive changes in health outcomes and PA levels in inactive patients who are at increased risk for non-communicable diseases. Their success relies on the acceptability and efficiency of primary care professionals to deliver PA counselling. To this end, appropriate training and financial support are crucial. Similarly, human resourcing and synergy between the different stakeholders must be addressed. To obtain maximum adherence, specific populations should be targeted and interventions adapted to their needs. Key enablers include motivational interviewing, social support and multi-disciplinary approaches. Leadership and lines of accountability must be clearly delineated to ensure the success of the initiatives promoting PA in primary care. The synergic and multisectoral action of several stakeholders, especially healthcare professionals, will help overcome physical inactivity in a sustainable way.

Background: Our study investigated the effect of elite sport on physical activity (PA) practice in the general population. Methods: Structured Boolean searches were conducted across 5 electronic databases (PubMed, JSTOR, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and PsycInfo) from January 2000 to August 2021. Peer-reviewed studies in English were included if the effects of hosting elite sport events, elite sport success, and elite sport role modeling on PA/sport practice in the general population were measured. Results: We identified 12,563 articles and included 36 articles. Most studies investigated the effect of hosting elite sport events (n = 27), followed by elite sport success (n = 16) and elite sport role modeling (n = 3). Most studies did not observe a positive effect of hosting elite sport events, elite sport success, or elite sport role modeling on PA/sport practice in the general population. No evidence of a lagged effect of elite sport was observed. No evidence of elite sport effects was observed according to age range and geographical scale. Conclusion: There is no evidence supporting the effect of elite sport in increasing PA or sport participation in the general population. Decision makers and policymakers should be aware of this and invest in strategies such as those recommended by the World Health Organization.