City based interventions to stimulate active movement for health

Project Information

CITY-MOVE

Grant agreement ID: 101136358

DOI

10.3030/101136358

EC signature date 1 December 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 3 667 023,75

EU contribution

€ 3 667 023,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CITY-MOVE (City based interventions to stimulate active movement for health)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

People living in urban areas around the world face the common challenge of being sufficiently physically active to benefit their physical and mental health. Cities are associated with lower physical activity, access to unhealthy diets, and overweight and obesity. Sedentary behaviour, as well as unhealthy diets and poor air quality, are fueling an epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes. NCDs are the leading cause of death globally, but environmental factors and lifestyle choices can encourage less sedentary lifestyles and significantly reduce NDCs.

CityMove (City based interventions to stimulate active Movement for health) seeks to research the impact of active and healthier urban environments on reducing the prevalence of NCDs. With the support of 9 organisations and 50 international researchers, the impact of 13 physical activity interventions will be studied in six cities across three continents —Europe, Africa, and Latin America—. CityMove seeks to implement and adapt the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) and develop a framework to evaluate the transferability and scalability of the elements and actions that increase physical activity in the least active or vulnerable groups.

CityMove is funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Programme (3.6 million EUR) and is committed to expanding its reach by including additional cities and scaling successful interventions. By sharing cross-contextual lessons learned and tailoring efforts to local needs, CityMove aspires to establish scalable models for health promotion that cities worldwide can adopt.

CityMove specific objections are:

1. Develop a comprehensive and comparative city - GAPPA Theory of Change.
2. Adapt the city-GAPPA to six cities through engagement with local stakeholders.
3. Support cities in the successful implementation of early phase city-GAPPA interventions through action research in Living Labs.
4. Assess feasibility, adoption, reach and sustainability of selected city-GAPPA interventions.
5. Improve the utilisation of collected data as a tool to support successful implementation.
6. Generate cross-contextual evidence on implementation, evaluation and scalability through a Multi-Criteria Decision Assessment tool for all interventions.
7. Generate global capacity on best implementation practices and transferability of city-GAPPA through Communities of Practice.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first 18 months, CITY-MOVE made significant progress in supporting city-level actions that promote physical activity and prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Scientific work focused on cross-contextual analysis, implementation support, evaluation planning, and shared learning across six diverse cities in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

A comparative Theory of Change was developed based on literature reviews, stakeholder assessments, and local context analyses. These formed the foundation for early-stage interventions co-developed with communities through Living Labs. City teams used participatory methods to tailor actions such as green walking routes, safe cycling days, and youth-led public space design.

Late-stage interventions were assessed using implementation science frameworks like RE-AIM and PRISM, focusing on feasibility, reach, adoption, and sustainability. Routine data sources were mapped to explore their value for monitoring and policymaking, and key barriers such as fragmented data access were identified.

A flexible evaluation tool based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was introduced to support local decision-making across cities. Capacity-building activities, including training sessions and regional Communities of Practice, enabled exchange and peer learning among researchers, policymakers and practitioners.

Together, these efforts lay the foundation for scalable, evidence-based models to foster healthier and more active urban environments.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

n.a.

figure-1-citymove-framework.jpg