Healthy Stadia Programme: innovative approach to health promotion

Abstract

Sports stadia play an important role in local communities, therefore they are seen as very suitable places for various health promotion programmes. Since 2005, the Healthy Stadia programme has become a new standard for establishing policies regarding health promotion in local communities and during big international tournaments. This programme is an example of an effective setting-based approach to health promotion. Being funded by the European Union Public Health Programme, it has gained popularity in many European countries and also in Canada and Australia. Key parts of the programme include policies on tobacco and alcohol control, healthy food options and physical activity promotion on stadium grounds. Healthy Stadia programme proved to be an effective tool for promoting healthy lifestyle at many sports stadia. The programme is constantly improving and developing new projects, like Football Fans in Training (FFIT) or European Fans in Training (EuroFIT). This article provides an introduction to the programme’s main parts as well as its origins and future projects. Poland is active member of the Healthy Stadia since 2007.