Laws and Regulations, the Missing Link in the Development and Promotion of Physical Activity in the Iranian Elderly

With the entry of the country's population pyramid into middle age and aging in the near future, it is critical to pay special attention to this issue and to provide the essential requirements to face this phenomenon. The current laws and regulations of the country are one of the main factors influencing the promotion of programs. The purpose of this study was to analyze the laws and regulations in the field of development and promotion of physical activity among the elderly in Iran. Using the qualitative content analysis method, 25 upstream documents and existing rules were analyzed. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 key stakeholders and experts in the field who were identified using the snowball method. Finally, a network of themes extracted from data and qualitative information in two categories of form and content was obtained. In general, in the law and regulations section, according to the available upstream documents, there is a potential legal capacity of value that must be realized. However, considering the executive trustee and the required strong executive guarantee for the laws and enforcing the stalled laws, in addition to removing some cumbersome laws and approval of efficient laws, are the prerequisites for success in this area.