Promoting physical activity, active play and sport for pre-school and school-age children and young people in family, pre-school, school and community settings

This guidance is for all those who are involved in promoting physical activity among children and young people, including parents and carers.

The NICE recommendations give advice on:

• how to promote the benefits of physical activity and encourage participation
• high level strategic planning
• the importance of consultation with children and young people and how to set about it
• planning and providing spaces, facilities and opportunities
• training people to run programmes and activities
• how to promote physically active travel such as cycling and walking.

The guidance is specifically aimed at the following organisations:

• Children's trusts and services
• Community and voluntary groups (running sports and other organised activities)
• Early years providers
• Government departments
• Local authorities (leisure and related services, transport and planning, regeneration)
• Local strategic partnerships
• Organisations offering practitioners education and training
• The police
• Primary care trusts
• Private sector providers
• Schools and colleges.

• Other information

  • PH17 Promoting physical activity for children and young people: guidance (web format)

  NICE Pathways

  This guidance has been incorporated into the following NICE Pathways, along with other related guidance and products.

  Visit the NICE Pathway: physical activity

  How this guidance was produced

  Background information

  • Promoting physical activity for children and young people: final fieldwork report
  • Promoting physical activity for children: cost effectiveness analysis
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 1 - epidemiology (revised July 2008)
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 2 - quantitative correlates
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 3 - qualitative correlates
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 4 - interventions for under eights (revised July 2008)
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 5 - active travel interventions (revised July 2008)
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 6 - interventions for adolescent girls
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 7 - family and community interventions
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 8 - active play
  • Promoting physical activity for children: review 9 - economic evidence

Guidance formats

• Web format
• Quick reference guide (PDF)
• Full Guidance (PDF)