Introduction: Improving nutrition and physical activity is a global health priority. Within Cochrane’s new production model, a Thematic Group (TG) with specialist content and methods expertise to support the development and dissemination of high-quality evidence on these priority issues in accessible formats was needed. We established a Nutrition and Physical Activity TG, which will serve as a Cochrane hub for expertise in this area. Approach: In establishing the TG, we brought together Cochrane members and groups with considerable experience in systematic reviews, methods and knowledge translation, as well as expertise in public health, nutrition, physical activity and obesity. Our strategic plan ensures TG decisions, and actions are deliberate and consistent with our shared values and guiding principles and contribute to achieving our TG goals and objectives. A governance structure aims to ensure the integration of teams across the partners and to manage resource allocation procedures and processes to maximise the impact of the TG’s programs of work. Our goals: The TG goals are to support and enable evidence-informed decision-making for policy and practice by advancing the preparation and impact of high-quality, relevant evidence syntheses; be a collaborative and sustainable component of Cochrane’s ecosystem for producing high-quality, trusted evidence; and to add value to Cochrane’s vision of better health for all people. It will achieve this via four objectives: 1) Increase the relevance, timeliness and quality of evidence synthesis aligned with our scope; 2) Ensure the sustainability of the TG; 3) Increase the impact and visibility of evidence synthesis aligned with our scope across all target audiences; and 4) Ensure accountability of the TG to the Cochrane Charity and between the partnering groups.
Conclusions: The Nutrition and Physical Activity TG is an aggregation of multi-disciplinary Cochrane entities, as well as partnering organisations and people from around the world, representing both a broadening of global collaboration and potential impact.
Patient, public and/or healthcare consumer involvement: We will create opportunities for patients, public and/or healthcare consumers to be involved in priority setting, commenting on reviews in-development and other activities of interest, to ensure our evidence products are accessible and relevant to them.