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Background and Aim: Physical activity is recognized as a major health determinant. However, the prevalence of inactivity can be as high as 80% in some adult subpopulations. From the urgent need to implement strategies to fight sedentary behaviour, considering that physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure, the pilot study "Activate your Wait" was born. The project aim is to transform waiting pauses during everyday life into opportunities to perform simple stretching and active mobilization exercises., Methods: The pilot study was carried out in 2019 at Terme S. Egidio (Italy). It was divided in three phases: in the pre-intervention a questionnaire was used to evaluate the interest in the project (96 responders); during the intervention, examples of simple exercises that people can do by themselves were illustrated and undertaken by about 120 participants; in the post-intervention an evaluation questionnaire was administered (71 responders)., Results: The intervention aroused enthusiastic participation and high approval and resulted in an increase both in willingness to perform exercises during daily waiting pauses (68% vs 94%) and belief in positive results of physical activity on health (74% vs 96%)., Conclusions: In a context where the opportunities for physical activity are decreasing and a sedentary lifestyle has reached a high level, this project represents a contribution to the increase in the awareness of the importance of physical activity and the promotion of the culture of movement in the entire population, with an opportunity of easy accessibility in different contexts of life, at all ages.

Physical activity is recognised as a major health determinant, with positive effects on health, environmental sustainability and economy. National surveillance data show that one out of three Italians - adult and elderly alike - declares to be sedentary, with a progressively increasing trend. From the urgent need to implement strategies to promote physical activity the "Activate your Wait" ("Attiva l'Attesa") project was born, aimed at transforming the waiting pauses during day to day life into opportunities to perform simple stretching and active mobilization exercises. The pilot study was carried out at the Terme S. Egidio, Suio Terme Castelforte (Latina). The results of the questionnaire distributed in the pre-intervention phase, aimed at assessing the users' interest in the project and physical activity in general, are reported. The questionnaire was administrated in the waiting rooms in September 2018 and September 2019. A total of 129 subjects responded to the questionnaire: 43% declared themselves sedentary, 73% reported willingness to perform simple physical exercises while waiting, and 76% believed that physical activity during waiting moments could have a positive impact on health. The project's subsequent goal is to identify suitable exercises to be proposed during the intervention period, which can be easily reproduced independently by users in their everyday life.

Objectives: Showering before entering a swimming pool is highly recommended to reduce the risk of biological and chemical contamination. This study evaluated the behaviour of indoor swimming pool users; analysed the variables associated with lack of showering; and assessed awareness of the importance of showering., Study Design: Cross-sectional study., Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data about users of swimming pools located in five different Italian cities. The association between specific variables and the lack of showering was assessed. P < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance., Results: In total, 4356 questionnaires were analysed. Sixty-five percent of interviewees always showered before entering the pool. The main reason given for pre-swim showering was 'to wash oneself' (50.5%); or 'to get used to the temperature of the water' (44.3%); and 5.2% answered 'for both reasons'. Risk factors significantly associated with lack of showering were: female sex (odds ratio (OR) 1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-1.59), age 14-17 years (OR 5.09, 95% CI 3.40-7.64); not reading the swimming pool rules (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.10-1.41); living in Central Italy (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.65-4.1) or Southern Italy (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.18-1.55); and previous/current attendance of a swimming course (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.48-1.97)., Conclusions: The results revealed low compliance with the rule of showering before entering a swimming pool, and little awareness of the preventive role of showering in the hygienic management of swimming pools. There is a need for targeted educational interventions to inform swimming pool users of the reasons for the importance of showering before entering a pool., (Copyright © 2013 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Twenty-five years have passed since the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion was signed at the First International Conference on Health Promotion, organized by the World Health Organization. This article traces the evolution of the definition of health, the introduction of the "salutogenesis" approach to health, the evolution of educational processes in community health, and defines the concept of health promotion, describing its application needs.