WHO Steering Group

The Steering Group included experts in the areas of physical activity, adolescent health, ageing disability, mental health, injury prevention, cancer, pregnancy and surveillance from both headquarters and regional offices.

• Valentina Baltag
  Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing – adolescent health
• Maurice Bucagu
  Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing – pregnancy
• Fiona Bull
  Chairperson
  Department for Health Promotion – physical activity
• Alex Butchart
  Department of Social Determinants of Health – injury prevention
• Neerja Chowdhary
  Department of Noncommunicable Diseases – mental health/dementia
• Regina Guthold
  Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing – adolescent surveillance
• Riitta-Maija Hämäläinen
  Western Pacific Regional Office
• Andre Ilbawi
  Department of Noncommunicable Diseases – cancer
• Wasiq Khan
  Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office
• Lindsay Lee
  Department of Noncommunicable Diseases – disability
• Alana Officer
  Ageing
• Leanne Riley
  Department for Noncommunicable Diseases – surveillance
• Gojka Roglic
  Department for Noncommunicable Diseases – diabetes
• Juana Willumsen
  Department for Health Promotion – physical activity

The Steering Group drafted the scope of the guidelines, and the PI/ECOs. They reviewed the declaration of interests; and drafted, reviewed and finalized the guidelines.

Guideline Development Group (GDG)

The Guideline Development Group consisted of a broad group of relevant experts in the field and end users of, and persons affected by, the recommendations. The members of the Guideline Development Group included:

• Dr Salih Saad Al-Ansari (advocate in health promotion and education to combat NCDs through physical activity and walking); Dr Stuart Biddle (physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and behaviour change); Dr Katja Borodulin (physical activity in pregnancy and older adults); Dr Matthew Buman (sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity in people living with chronic conditions); Dr Greet Cardon (physical activity in children and adolescents); Ms Catherine Carty (physical activity in people living with disability); Dr Jean-Philippe Chaput (sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity in children and adolescents); Dr Sebastien Chastin (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health, objective measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour); Dr Paddy Dempsey (physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adults and people living with chronic conditions); Dr Loretta DiPietro (physical activity in pregnancy and older adults); Dr Ulf Ekelund (sedentary behaviour and physical activity, physical activity in children and adolescents); Dr Joseph Firth (physical activity and mental health); Dr Christine Friedenreich (physical activity in people living with chronic conditions, physical activity and cancer risk); Dr Leandro Garcia (physical activity and health in adults); Dr Muthoni Gichu (policy implementation, national government); Dr Russ Jago (physical activity in children and adolescents); Dr Peter Katzmarzyk (physical activity and sedentary behaviour); Dr Estelle V. Lambert (physical activity and obesity); Dr Michael Leitzmann (sedentary behaviour and physical activity in people living with chronic conditions); Dr Karen Milton (translating recommendations into practice); Dr Francisco B. Ortega (physical activity in children and adolescents, mental health and objective measurement); Dr Chathuranga Ranasinghe (promotion of physical activity and health in the community, workplace and school settings); Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis (physical activity and sedentary behaviour and multiple health outcomes in adults); Dr Anne Tiedemann (physical activity in older adults); Dr Richard Troiano (policy development); Dr Hidde van der Ploeg (physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adults); Ms Vicky Wari (policy implementation – national government); Dr Roger Chou (Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center and Professor of Medicine, Departments of Medicine, Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology of the Oregon Health and Science University) served as GRADE methodologist. Further details of the GDG are available in Annex 2.

A first GDG meeting was held 2–4 July 2019, at which the GDG decided on the PI/ECO questions, reviewed the existing systematic reviews, and identified updates required. The Group agreed on the process for decision-making on recommendations and the strength of the evidence to be applied at the second GDG meeting. The second meeting was held 11–14 February 2020; updated evidence was reviewed and final recommendations agreed upon by consensus.

External Review Group (ERG)

Seven peer reviewers were drawn from a list of individuals suggested by the GDG and Steering Group. They provided relevant expertise, including programme implementation and represented all six WHO regions. The ERG reviewed the draft guidelines and provided feedback to the Steering Group on issues of clarity and implementation, which was incorporated, as appropriate. External peer reviewers did not make changes to the recommendations. External peer reviewers are listed in Annex 2.

Declarations of Interest

All GDG members and external peer reviewers completed and submitted a WHO Declaration of Interests form and signed confidentiality undertakings prior to attending any GDG meetings. The Steering Group reviewed and assessed the submitted curriculum vitae and declarations of interest and performed an internet and publications search to identify any obvious public controversies or interests that may lead to compromising situations. The names and brief biographies of all proposed GDG members were published on the WHO Physical Activity webpage for public consultation for a period of 14 days. No comments were received. If additional guidance on management of any declaration or conflicts of interest had been required, the Steering Group would have consulted with colleagues in Office of Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics. If deemed necessary, individuals found to have conflicts of interest, financial or non-financial, would have been excluded from participation on any topics where interests were conflicting. The management of conflicts of interest was reviewed throughout the process. GDG members were required to update their Declaration of Interest, if necessary, before each meeting and a verbal declaration of interest was solicited at the beginning of each GDG meeting. Declared interests of the GDG and of the external peer reviewers are summarized in Annex 3. No conflict of interest was identified.

Peer review

The draft guidelines were reviewed by seven external peer reviewers identified by the GDG and Steering Group. External peer reviewers were requested to provide comments on issues of clarity, presentation of the evidence, and implementation; comments were incorporated as appropriate. External peer reviewers could not change the recommendations decided upon by the GDG. External peer reviewers are listed in Annex 2; a summary of declarations of interest are provided in Annex 3. In addition, inputs were actively sought from WHO regional offices.