Understanding health promotion policy processes: a study of the government adoption of the Achievement Program in Victoria, Australia

Despite the growing health and economic burden associated with overweight and obesity, preventive policy progress has been deficient globally. This study investigated the policy process involved in the adoption of the Achievement Program, a settings-based health promotion intervention that was a key pillar of the Healthy Together Victoria obesity prevention initiative. The qualitative study utilised multiple theories of the policy process, as well as Causal Loop Diagramming (CLD) methods, to understand the policy systems underlying the decision to adopt the Achievement Program. Factors that impacted this obesity prevention policy adoption included problem prioritisation at Federal and state government levels; political risks regarding policy action and inaction, and framing used by policy advocates to reduce risks and highlight the opportunities related to the Achievement Program policy implementation. The use of CLD methods was advantageous to further conceptualise potential leverage points and effective ways to influence obesity prevention policy in future. As such, the findings contribute to the obesity prevention policy evidence base and toward developing a number of recommended actions for policy actors seeking to increase future policy action.