Context

The need for promoting health-enhancing physical activity in the European Union has been an accepted policy for some time, and was strengthened by the Council Recommendation in 2013. Physical inactivity is the 4th largest a leading risk factor for premature mortality and imposes economic costs of €80.4 billion per year to the EU-28 – the equivalent to 6.2% of all European health- spending.

Summary

In the 3 years of the Let’s #BEACTIVE project it will target up to 60,000 currently inactive adults aged 18-55 in 8 different EU countries, and through nearly 500 fitness centres. It will be based on specially structured 6-week supervised exercise interventions to help motivate the participants into long-term healthy lifestyles. EuropeActive has successfully delivered on two evidence-based physical activity promotion Erasmus+ actions which gives the context and approach in this project. The skilled personal trainers in the centres will provide additional motivational and behavioural change to support the people taking part. They will then be tracked for at least 6 months after the trial sessions, with their daily activity levels being recorded through their personal smart phones.

The research evidence of what happens to change inactive people to become more active and to adopt a healthy lifestyle will be summarised for use in future policy development and actions.

The establishment of a EU-wide campaign to engage citizens in more physical activity in the long term is part of the promotion of the European Week of Sport message, which is also at the heart of the Let’s #BEACTIVE project.

Objectives:

  1. Convert inactive European adults to become more physically activity and to support them to adopt a healthy lifestyle for life.
  2. Track levels of PA to create an evidence base (during the trial sessions, and at 3 and 6 months after trial sessions have been completed) for further research and to support policy development for future actions in the promotion of HEPA
  3. Promote the European Week of Sport with strong support of fitness the focus theme during the week at national and local community levels.

Let's #BEACTIVE- video