ABSTRACT
The multitude of influences on sports participation and physical activity has led policy makers to recommend ‘whole-of-systems approaches’ (WoSA) to address inactivity. This chapter outlines the rationale for these comprehensive, multi-component, multi-sectoral strategies and explores the notion of physical activity and sports participation as a ‘complex adaptive system’ (CAS). It then describes some of the strategies adopted by groups of stakeholders implementing WoSAs, and explains how each may take a distinct lens on the purpose, scope, scale, outcomes, and audience depending on local context and underpinning values. The chapter then confronts the challenges of evaluating such initiatives. It does this by first explaining the limitations of evaluation methods which rely upon controls or longitudinal measures, then by suggesting considerations for evaluation which attend to the core purpose of supporting learning and iteration. I then describe novel or adapted methods that may be utilised to represent diverse perspectives, map influences and emergent changes, provide explanatory accounts, and support an accumulation of knowledge. Finally, the chapter concludes by highlighting emerging methods and future opportunities.
