Alignment with EU policy
The objectives of the project are in line with the Recommendations to Member States 1b, 3, and 4, 1b and the Recommendation to European Commission 2a specified in the EU Council Recommendation on promoting HEPA (2013/C 354/01).
Recommendation to Members States 1b. The Council recommended that Member States identify concrete actions for the delivery of national strategies to promote HEPA.
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this recommendation, because we will aim to increase the awareness of the SCforH initiatives, as a typical example of a concrete action to promote HEPA.
Recommendation to Members States 3. The Council recommended that the national Physical Activity Focal Point should coordinate the process of collecting data on the implementation of the SCforH guidelines in their countries (proposed indicator #7).
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because as part of realising Aim 4b we will provide relevant data on the national implementation of SCforH guidelines and provide recommendations to the Focal Points on how to best gather these data in the future.
Recommendation to Members States 4. The Council recommended that Member States should cooperate closely among themselves and with the European Commission by regularly exchanging relevant information and best practices in HEPA promotion.
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because it involves institutions from 12 European countries alongside five international organisations and our Aim 6 is to strengthen the collaborations and partnerships between the project partners. While achieving this aim, we will engage in a process of exchanging relevant information and best practices in HEPA promotion. Upon the completion of the project, summary information will also be communicated to the representatives of the European Commission.
Recommendation to European Commission 2a. The Council recommended that the European Commission should provide targeted support to EU Physical Activity Focal Points for capacity building, and that this should be done with the help of scientific experts.
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because it involves more than 10 academics who are experts in the scientific matters related to the promotion of sport and health, and within our realisation of Aim 4b we will provide targeted support to EU Physical Activity Focal Points for capacity building, particularly in term of collecting data and reporting against the proposed indicator #7 (i.e. on the implementation of the SCforH guidelines in their countries).
The objectives of the project are in line with the Guidelines 1, 9-13, 23, and 24 specified in the EU Physical Activity Guidelines.
Guideline 1. “In accordance with the guidance documents of the World Health Organisation, the European Union and its Member States recommend a minimum of 60 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity for children and young people and a minimum of 30 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity for adults including seniors.”
By realising all the specific objectives cumulatively, the SCforH 2020-22 project aims to indirectly increase participation in sport and HEPA in the EU, which may improve population-level adherence to the Guideline 1.
Guideline 9. “Sport policy should be evidence-based and public funding for sport science should encourage research that seeks to uncover new knowledge about activities that allow the population at large to be physically active.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because we will inform future EU sport policies by strengthening the scientific evidence base (i.e. Aim 5 of the current project proposal)
Guideline 10. “Sport organisations should provide activities and events attractive to everyone, and encourage contacts between people from different social groups and with different capabilities, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, nationality, and physical and mental health.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because by realising all the specific objectives cumulatively, we will promote the core idea of the SCforH movement; namely, to increase the offer of sport programmes that are attractive and attainable for everyone (i.e. regardless of their abilities and interests) and not only to those interested in competitive, elite sport.
Guideline 11. “Sport organisations should cooperate with universities and higher vocational schools to develop training programmes for coaches, instructors and other sport professionals aimed to advise and prescribe physical activity for sedentary individuals and those with motor or mental disabilities who wish to take up a particular sport.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline by encouraging course and subject coordinators at tertiary education institutions that educate sport and exercise practitioners to include learning about SCforH guidelines in their curricula.
Guideline 12. “Low-barrier health-related exercise programs targeting as many social and age groups and including as many sport disciplines as possible (athletics, jogging, swimming, ball sports, strength and cardiovascular training, courses for seniors and youth) should become an integral part of the offerings of sport organisations.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because by realising all the specific objectives cumulatively, we will promote the core idea of the SCforH movement; namely, to increase the offer of sport programmes that are attractive and attainable for everyone (i.e. regardless of their abilities and interests) and not only to those interested in competitive, elite sport.
Guideline 13. “Sport organisations embody a unique potential in prevention and health promotion, which should be drawn upon and further developed. Sport organisations gain a special significance for health policies if they can offer quality tested and cost-effective programmes in prevention and health promotion.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline, because by realising all the specific objectives cumulatively and especially aims 3 and 4, we will improve the capacity of sport organisations for preventative and health promotion activities.
Guideline 23. “Information about the need for physical activity, the best way to introduce it in everyday life and changes in lifestyle should be available to physical education teachers, health professionals, trainers, managers of sport and leisure centres and media professionals in the course of their studies and/or professional training.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline by encouraging course and subject coordinators at tertiary education institutions that provide courses for health promoters, physical education teachers, and sport and exercise practitioners to include learning about SCforH guidelines in their curricula.
Guideline 24. “Topics related to physical activity, health promotion and sports medicine should be integrated into the curricula of health professions in the EU.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support this guideline by encouraging course and subject coordinators at tertiary education institutions in the area of health promotion to include learning about SCforH guidelines in their curricula.
The objectives of the project are in line with the following points in the White Paper on Sport (Brussels, 11/07/2007, COM(2007) 391 final):
(1) “Sport organisations are encouraged to take into account their potential for health-enhancing physical activity and to undertake activities for this purpose. The Commission will facilitate the exchange of information and good practice, in particular in relation to young people, with a focus on the grassroots level.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will facilitate the direct exchange of information and good practices in the promotion of HEPA through sports clubs between 17 project partner organisations and dissemination of the most relevant, selected information to several thousand stakeholders in the area of sport and HEPA promotion.
(2) The Commission will support an EU Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) network and, if appropriate, smaller and more focused networks dealing with specific aspects of the topic.
Although not organised through a formal network, the key EU actors in the SCforH movement form an international network that collaborates within and outside the funded SCforH projects. The network of institutions and individuals that are actively involved in the SCforH activities can be considered a focused network dealing with a specific aspect of sport; namely, the promotion of HEPA through sport clubs.
(3) “In addition, specific sport-related information surveys should continue to take place once every few years (e.g. Eurobarometer polls), in particular to provide non-economic information which cannot be provided on the basis of national statistical accounts for sport (e.g. participation rates, data on volunteering, etc.).”
In the SCforH 2020-22 project, we will conduct surveys that are specifically related to the implementation of SCforH guidelines in EU member states. The surveys will provide non-economic information relevant for the sports sector.
(4) “The Commission will propose to Member States and sport organisations to cooperate on the protection of the moral and physical integrity of young people through the dissemination of information on existing legislation, establishment of minimum standards and exchange of best practices.”
The SCforH 2020-22 project will support the implementation of SCforH guidelines in the EU member states. The SCforH guidelines have been created to, among other things, support protecting moral and physical integrity of young people. The guidelines include a dedicated section with special consideration for children and adolescents.