06.07.2017Report: Environments for Physical Activity in Europe: a review of evidence and examples of practice

EBPI researcher, Sonja Kalmeier, contributed to a recently published report titled “Environments for Physical Activity in Europe: a review of evidence and examples
of practice.”

The report results from the Supporting Policy and Action for Active Environments (SPAcE) project, a three year project co-funded by the Sport Collaborative Partnerships action of the Erasmus+ Programme.

The project links together 10 project partners from 8 different EU countries to
achieve the objective of developing sustainable active urban environments in 5
cities and towns across the EU. The  overall  aim  of  the  SPAcE  project  is  to 
make  the  healthy  choice  the  easy  choice  through  creating healthy  urban  environments.  SPAcE  aims  to  increase  the  physical  activity  level  of  the  communities involved in the project, and support and encourage social inclusion through more active participation.

The new report summarizes the evidence available for the importance of active environments, and present a range of case studies from the project partner countries to illustrate the translation of this evidence into practice. The  evidence  clearly 
shows  that  aspects  of  the  environment  that  promote  physical  activity should
be  emphasised, such as walkability and accessibility. Alongside this, there is justification for policies and actions that influence a supportive social environment.
To read more, please see here.