Ganz Salzburg bewegen

Background Physical inactivity is a globally growing public health problem, contributing to significant disease
burden (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, depression) and associated healthcare and societal costs. In Austria,
several underserved groups (UGs) display lower than average physical activity (PA) levels, including people aged
30–45 and 60 + years, and those without employment, with minimal education level, or with migration background.
PA promotion requires an approach that answers to local circumstances and the specific needs of UGs, to develop
tailored and contextualized concepts. The public involvement project “Ganz Salzburg Bewegen” [“All of Salzburg
Moving”] aimed to develop such concepts for UGs in the city of Salzburg, Austria.
Methods In 2023, we conducted a large-scale participatory design process in the Lehen district of the city of
Salzburg, involving citizens from UGs in needs assessment and ideation of concepts for PA promotion. Over 400
citizens engaged in a four-day community conversation event, eight citizen interviewers spoke with 53 peers, and 80
citizens participated in a two-day ideas workshop, co-designing PA promotion concepts together with design and PA
promotion experts.
Results The process resulted in 98 ideas addressing issues of inclusivity, accessibility and affordability of PA, and
including aspects of community building and social participation to support engagement and motivation for
PA. Ten ideas were selected, developed further in collaboration with design experts, and presented in a public
exhibition at which citizens voted for their favourites with over 960 “likes”. Our evaluation showed that there was good
representation from UGs, and that 90–97% of citizens were satisfied with their engagement in the project, felt they
could adequately express their personal opinions, and thought they could comprehend the tasks and explanations for different activities well. The Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET) indicated overall good quality
of involvement activities.
Conclusions This public involvement project has successfully employed participatory design methods at large scale
to catalyze change for PA in an urban setting. This practice example and our learnings throughout the process may
offer transferable insights to others who plan participatory projects and co-design for PA promotion in the public
domain and with UGs.
Plain English summary
Many people in Austria are not physically active enough. This can lead to serious health problems like heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression. This issue is especially common among certain groups, including adults
aged 30–45 and 60+, people without jobs, those with limited education, and people from migrant backgrounds. To
help, we need solutions that fit the needs of these groups and their local communities. The project “All of Salzburg
Moving” focused on creating ways to encourage physical activity in the Lehen neighborhood of Salzburg, Austria. In
2023, we involved over 500 local residents through street events, interviews, and workshops. This included citizens
working together with experts to identify barriers to being active and brainstorm creative solutions. Participants
came up with 98 ideas, many of which focused on making physical activity easier to access, more inclusive, and
more affordable. These ideas also emphasized the importance of building a sense of community to motivate
people to stay active. Ten of the best ideas were refined with professional designers and displayed in a public
exhibition, where residents voted on their favourites. The feedback from participants was very positive, with most
feeling that their voices were heard, and the activities were easy to understand. We are now looking for funding
to put the top ideas into action and test how well they work in real life. This project showed that involving the
community can inspire meaningful and practical solutions to improve physical activity.
Keywords Citizen science, Community engagement, Design, Participation, Patient and public involvement (PPI),
Physical inactivity, Underserved groups