Introduction: Over 40 million deaths annually are due to noncommunicable diseases, 15 million of these are premature deaths and physical inactivity attributes an estimated 9% to this figure. Global responses have included the sustainable development goals and the global action plan on physical activity. Both point to policy action in physical activity (PA) to address change, yet the impact of policy is unknown. The protocol described outlines a systematic literature review that will be undertaken by the Policy Evaluation Network to address this knowledge gap. Protocol: This review of school PA policies is the first of seven planned reviews. The seven best investments for promotion of population PA identified in the Toronto Charter (whole-of-school programmes, transport policy, urban design policy, primary health care policy, public education policy, community programmes and sport programmes) will form the basis of these reviews. Seven individual scientific literature searches across six electronic databases, using key concepts of policy, PA, evaluation and a distinct concept for each area will be conducted. This will be supplemented with a search of the reference list of included articles. Methodological quality will be assessed and overall effectiveness for each included study will be described according to pre-determined categories. Conclusions: The review will provide policy makers with a list of policy statements and corresponding actions which the evidence has determined impact on PA directly or indirectly. By collating the evidence, and demonstrating the depth of the science base which informs these policy recommendations, this review will provide guidance to policymakers to use evidence-based or evidence-informed policies to achieve the 15% relative reduction in physical inactivity as defined by the ‘Global Action Plan on Physical Activity’. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020156630 (10/07/2020).
“Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity” (DEDIPAC): an umbrella systematic literature review