scholarly journals Status and contents of physical activity recommendations in European Union countries: a systematic comparative analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e034045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Gelius ◽  
Antonina Tcymbal ◽  
Karim Abu-Omar ◽  
Romeu Mendes ◽  
Sara Tribuzi Morais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Activity Recommendations

ObjectivesWe analysed the information on current national physical activity recommendations in all EU Member States provided by governments in a joint EU/WHO survey on the implementation status of the EU Council Recommendation on Health-Enhancing Physical Activity across Sectors.DesignCross-sectional survey.ParticipantsThe representatives of the 28 EU Member State governments to the EU Physical Activity Focal Point Network.Outcome measuresNational recommendations on: (A) minimum frequency, duration, intensity and lengths of bouts of physical activity, (B) preventing inactivity or sedentary behaviour and (C) further recommendations for additional health benefits, obesity prevention and specific types of activity.ResultsAn official document could be located for 23 of the 28 EU Member States, while four are currently developing recommendations. For children and adolescents, most countries follow the 2010 WHO Global Recommendations for Physical Activity, but there are notable differences in the delimitation of age groups. 14 countries also followed WHO in their recommendations for adults, and 11 countries have additional advice on avoiding inactivity and sitting among adults. 18 Member States have recommendations for older adults, 12 of which follow WHO. Thirteen countries also address at least one special population (eg, pregnant women, people with disabilities and people with chronic diseases), but the level of detail varies substantially between countries.ConclusionsThe large majority of EU Member States either has physical activity recommendations in place or is in the process of developing them. There is a general tendency to use the WHO Global Recommendations as a basis, with the greatest variation observable for children and adolescents. Comparing results with a previous round of data collection shows that the number of EU countries with physical activity recommendations is increasing and that both special groups and sedentary behaviour have become more important in recent years.

The Role of School in Helping Children and Adolescents Reach the Physical Activity Recommendations: The UP&DOWN Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 612-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Grao‐Cruces ◽  
Victor Segura‐Jiménez ◽  
Julio Conde‐Caveda ◽  
Laura García‐Cervantes ◽  
David Martínez‐Gómez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

scholarly journals An inventory of national surveillance systems assessing physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sport participation of adults in the European Union

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maroje Sorić ◽  
Kaja Meh ◽  
Paulo Rocha ◽  
Wanda Wendel-Vos ◽  
Ellen de Hollander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
European Union ◽  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
National Surveillance ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
On Line

Abstract Background Physical inactivity has been recognised as a global public health problem that requires concerted action. This calls for systematic physical activity (PA) surveillance as a mechanism for assessing the problem and evaluating the effectiveness of related policies. Because countries tend to design their policy measures based on national surveillance data, here we present an inventory of existing national surveillance systems on PA, sedentary behaviour (SB) and sport participation (SP) among adult population in all European Union (EU) Member States. Methods As a part of the European Physical Activity and Sports Monitoring System (EUPASMOS) project, a questionnaire was constructed in the form of an on-line survey to collect detailed information on existing national surveillance systems on either PA, SB, or SP. National HEPA focal points from all 27 EU Member States were invited to answer the on-line questionnaire and data collection took part in the period May 2018–September 2019. Results National monitoring of PA or SB or SP for adults has been established in 16/27 EU Member States, that host 33 different PA/SB/SP monitoring systems. Apart from 3 countries that are using accelerometers (Finland, Ireland and Portugal), surveillance is typically based on questionnaires. In most Member States these questionnaires have not been validated in the particular language and cultural setting. Next, specific domains and dimensions of PA, SB and SP assessed vary a lot across countries. Only 3 countries (the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia) are monitoring all three behaviours while covering most of the domains and dimensions of PA/SB/SP. Lastly, as half of the existing surveillance systems set an upper age limit, in 9/16 countries that are monitoring PA/SB/SP, no data for people older than 80 years are available. Conclusions Systematic surveillance of PA is lacking among 11/27 EU countries, with even few monitoring SB and SP. Besides, existing surveillance systems typically fail to assess all dimensions and domains of PA/SB/SP with only three countries maintaining monitoring systems that encompass all three behaviours while covering most of the domains and dimensions of PA/SB/SP. Hence, additional efforts in advocacy of systematic PA surveillance in the EU are called for.

scholarly journals Development of national physical activity recommendations in 18 EU member states: a comparison of methodologies and the use of evidence

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e041710
Author(s):  
Antonina Tcymbal ◽  
Peter Gelius ◽  
Karim Abu-Omar ◽  
Charlie Foster ◽  
Stephen Whiting ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
National Physical Activity

ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to compare how member states of the European Union (EU) develop their national physical activity (PA) recommendations and to provide an overview of the methodologies they apply in doing so. Information was collected directly from the physical activity focal points of EU member states in 2018. Five countries were chosen for detailed case study analysis of development processes.DesignCross-sectional survey.ParticipantsThe representatives of the 28 EU member state governments to the EU physical activity Focal Point Network.Outcome measuresFrom national documents we extracted data on (1) the participants of the development process, (2) the different methods used during development, and (3) on which sources national PA recommendations were based. An additional survey for case study countries provided details on (1) anonymised information on the participants of development process, (2) methods employed and rationale for choosing them, (3) development process and timeline, and (4) main source documents used for recommendation development.ResultsEighteen national documents on PA recommendations contained information about development process. The results showed that countries used different approaches to develop national recommendations. The main strategies were (1) adoption of WHO 2010 recommendations or (2) a combination of analysis and adoption of other national and international recommendations and literature review. All of the five case study countries relied on review processes rather than directly adopting WHO recommendations.ConclusionsWhile there are arguments for the use of particular strategies for PA recommendation development, there is currently no evidence for the general superiority of a specific approach. Instead, our findings highlight the broad spectrum of potential development methods, resources utilisation and final recommendations design currently available to national governments. These results may be a source of inspiration for other countries currently planning the development or update of national PA recommendations.

scholarly journals Meeting the Physical Activity Recommendations and Its Relationship with Obesity-Related Parameters, Physical Fitness, Screen Time, and Mediterranean Diet in Schoolchildren

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
José Francisco López-Gil ◽  
Javier Brazo-Sayavera ◽  
Wagner de Campos ◽  
Juan Luis Yuste Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Fitness Score ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

The up-to-date scientific evidence suggests that adequate levels of physical activity provide essential health benefits for children and adolescents and help to maintain a healthy body weight. In this sense, children and adolescents should at least accumulate 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in a daily basis to achieve these benefits and be considered active. Likewise, some lifestyle-related elements may interact with each other in an antagonistic or synergistic way to modify physical activity status. Thus, a better understanding of how meeting physical activity recommendations influences these potentially modifiable lifestyle factors (obesity-related parameters, physical fitness, dietary habits, or sedentary behaviour) would significantly reinforce the importance of complying with those recommendations from a health perspective and support the establishment of strategies for the promotion of diminishing the lower trends of physical activity among the young population. This study seeks to verify the association of meeting physical activity international recommendations with obesity-related parameters, global physical fitness, screen time, and Mediterranean diet in Spanish schoolchildren aged 8 to 13. A cross-sectional study was performed including 250 schoolchildren (41.2% girls) aged 8–13 (9.7 ± 1.2) from six primary schools in the Region of Murcia (Spain). Results: A higher proportion of children who complying with physical activity recommendations shows normal weight, no abdominal obesity, and low adiposity in comparison to other with different obesity-related parameters categories. Higher values in global physical fitness score were found in those who meet the physical activity international recommendations in both sexes. These higher values were also shown for adherence to the Mediterranean diet in both sexes; not being so in the case of screen time. Notwithstanding, none of these mean differences were statistically significant. To conclude, the proportion of schoolchildren meeting the physical activity recommendations in our study is low. A higher proportion of children who meet with physical activity recommendations present normal weight, no abdominal obesity and low adiposity in comparison to other obesity-related parameters categories in both sexes. Likewise, those considered as active children seem to have higher global physical fitness score and adherence to the Mediterranean diet than children who do not meet the recommendations.

scholarly journals German cooperation with the EU and NATO member states in defence strengthening: Northern and Central European dimensions

2020 ◽  
pp. 170-202
Author(s):  
Philipp Trunov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
German Foreign Policy ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Member States ◽  
Central European ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
World Power ◽  
Internal Policy ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Eu

The key basis of German foreign policy is positioning itself as an integral part of Euro-Atlantic community. At the beginning of the 2020-s Germany faces a growing number of obstacles at the national (internal policy), regional but also global levels on the path to become the supreme world power. That is why the more active and full-scale participation of the European NATO and EU member states in joint strengthening of defense capabilities is coming to the fore. The goal of the article is to explore the dynamics and intermediate results of German efforts in this field. Attention is paid not only to general, but also to sugregional and bilateral links of German cooperation with partners in military sphere. The article highlights the features of German participation in the launching and development of potential of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) platform. The paper notes that the number of functional PESCO projects with German participation is more than technical-technological ones. The author faces the fact that the number of new projects initiated by or with the participation of Germany since 2019 has become less than in 2017–2018 but at the same time the general tendency of their development is different. Outside PESCO Berlin pays permanent attention to the strengthening of defense capabilities on bilateral and trilateral bases. The cases of Norway and PESCO demonstrate that Germany is interested in the creation of common military-logistic hubs network in Europe and the growing of armed forces` mobility. This is important for Germany, because its armed forces have been reduced since 1990-s until the 2010-s. The prospects of Berlin`s cooperation with Scandinavian states and Germanspeaking Austria and Switzerland in the military field are also highlighted in the article.

scholarly journals Active breaks during virtual classrooms in schoolchildren in times of COVID-19 pandemic: A strategy to increase physical activity levels

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jairo Azócar-Gallardo ◽  
◽  
Alex Ojeda-Aravena ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Virtual Classrooms ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Active Breaks ◽  
Activity Recommendations

As a result of the closure of schools to control COVID-19 transmission, the lifestyle of schoolchildren changed, with an increase in excess malnutrition, sedentary behavior, decreased outdoor time and increased screen time. The modification in the execution of classes in their new modalities (on-site or virtual) does not modify the deleterious effects of the sedentary behavior of schoolchildren. Short cumulative active breaks can be an efficient strategy to meet the minimum physical activity recommendations suggested by the WHO for children and adolescents aged 5-17 years.

BIOECONOMY DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL BASED ON MORE EFFICIENT LAND USE IN THE EU

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina PILVERE ◽  
Aleksejs NIPERS ◽  
Bartosz MICKIEWICZ
Keyword(s):  
Green Growth ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
Europe 2020 Strategy ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
Key Industries ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Production Resource

Europe 2020 Strategy highlights bioeconomy as a key element for smart and green growth in Europe. Bioeconomy in this case includes agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and pulp and paper production, parts of chemical, biotechnological and energy industries and plays an important role in the EU’s economy. The growth of key industries of bioeconomy – agriculture and forestry – highly depends on an efficient and productive use of land as a production resource. The overall aim of this paper is to evaluate opportunities for development of the main sectors of bioeconomy (agriculture and forestry) in the EU based on the available resources of land. To achieve this aim, several methods were used – monographic, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, statistical analysis methods. The findings show that it is possible to improve the use of land in the EU Member States. If all the Member States reached the average EU level, agricultural products worth EUR 77 bln would be annually additionally produced, which is 19 % more than in 2014, and an extra 5 billion m3 volume of forest growing stock would be gained, which is 20 % more than in 2010.

THE STANDARD OF LIVING OF HOUSEHOLDS IN POLAND COMPARED TO OTHER EU MEMBER STATES

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 634-638
Author(s):  
Joanna Szwacka Mokrzycka
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Economic Condition ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Consumption Expenditure ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Financial Condition ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Structure Of Consumption ◽  
The Eu

The objective of this article is to present the standard of living of households in Poland in comparison with other EU member states. The starting point for analysis was the economic condition of Poland against the background of other EU member states. The next step consisted of assessment of the standard of living of inhabitants of individual EU member states on the basis of financial condition of households and the structure of consumption expenditure. It was found that the differences within the EU in terms of economic development and the standard of living of households still remain substantial.

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