Local Delivery Partners will advertise the Devon Active Villages activity sessions using local media (e.g., newspapers, posters, leaflets, village newsletters).
The Devon Active Villages intervention will provide activities for all age groups.
The implementation of the Devon Active Villages intervention may increase physical activity participation in rural villages in southwest England.
This will often include, but not limited to, people being directly surveyed to find out what activities they would like the Devon Active Villages programme to provide.
A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial will be used to evaluate whether Devon Active Villages leads to increased physical activity levels in rural communities.
Secondary outcomes will be social support, physical activity intentions, awareness and use of local facilities, perceived village supportiveness of physical activity, and awareness and participation in the Devon Active Villages intervention.
This study protocol describes Devon Active Villages, a community-level intervention providing physical activity opportunities to 128 rural villages in southwest England, and the methods used to evaluate its effectiveness in increasing physical activity levels.
In addition, if the Devon Active Villages intervention proves successful in improving population physical activity prevalence the intervention could be disseminated at national and international level.
The primary objective of the Devon Active Villages intervention is to improve participation in physical activity by offering people of all ages increased opportunities to experience the enjoyment of sport and physical activity.
"This is one of the poorest and most active villages in Bahrain," said Jalila Alawi, a social worker who was watching with her two teenage daughters.
