To continue the growth of the health and fitness industry, the industry must speak in a unified voice with policymakers. That was the bottom-line conclusion at the first Global Advocacy Summit held March 13 at The HFA Show in Las Vegas.

“When the industry is not united behind a single message about our goals, it causes a misunderstanding of the great work that you are all doing,” HFA Chief of Staff Mike Goscinski told the group of about 30 people, several of whom represented federations. During the global pandemic, more people in the industry realized how important unity, especially around messaging, mattered as different nations reacted to the crisis, many closing fitness facilities for months.

Summit attendees also discussed the benefits of physical activity and the role it plays in improving mental wellness, which the global fitness industry is well-positioned to address. Goscinski said that the industry must be on the front lines in pressing this message, while convincing policymakers and the general public that the type of services the industry provides can create a healthier world.

Research Plays a Leading Role

Part of the creation of this unified voice is working from shared data that quantifies the impact of the industry on a social and economic level, something HFA is pushing forward with increased research.

One such research report is Reversing the Physical Inactivity Crisis: Fitness Affordability as Strategic Policy, written by HFA in collaboration with Portas Consulting.

During the Global Advocacy Summit, Donal McElwee, managing partner at Portas Consulting, offered highlights from the report, including that customers of health clubs and studios were on average 56% more likely to meet World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for physical activity. Customers also reported higher life satisfaction and greater trust in their communities, emphasizing the broad social value of structured exercise.

HFA has been using the report in its work with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, to craft language around physical activity guidance for global policy leaders and to suggest how they should be thinking about preventative health measures using physical activity to help individuals in their country reach the WHO’s recommended physical activity standards, according to Goscinski.

OECD Policy Director Rokas Morkūnas spoke about how the OECD, a data-driven organization established in 1961, provides evidence-based economic and political recommendations to governments. Data-driven arguments are necessary to inform advocacy and to promote policies that would increase physical activity, he said.