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

Authors :
Gelius P
Tcymbal A
Abu-Omar K
Mendes R
Tribuzi Morais S
Whiting S
Breda J
Source :
BMJ open [BMJ Open] 2020 Feb 20; Vol. 10 (2), pp. e034045. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Feb 20.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Objectives: We 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.<br />Design: Cross-sectional survey.<br />Participants: The representatives of the 28 EU Member State governments to the EU Physical Activity Focal Point Network.<br />Outcome Measures: National 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.<br />Results: An 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.<br />Conclusions: The 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.<br />Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.<br /> (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2044-6055
Volume :
10
Issue :
2
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
BMJ open
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32086356
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034045