Promoting Active Living in Healthy Cities of Europe

Abstract

Local governments in Europe have a vital role in promoting physical activity in the daily life of citizens. However, explicit investment in active living has been limited. One of the four core themes for Phase IV (2003IV ( -2008 of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Healthy Cities Network (WHO-EHCN) was to encourage local governments and their partners to implement programs in favor of active living. This study analyzes the performance of network cities during this period. Responses to a general evaluation questionnaire are analyzed by content according to a checklist, and categorized into themes and dimensions. Most cities viewed "active living" as an important issue for urban planning; to improve visual appeal, enhance social cohesion, create a more sustainable transport system to promote walkability and cyclability and to reduce inequalities in public health. Almost all member cities reported on existing policies that support the promotion of active living. However, only eight (of the 59) responding cities mentioned an integrated framework specific for active living. Many efforts to promote active living are nested in programs to prevent obesity among adults or children. Future challenges include establishing integrated policies specifically for active living, introducing a larger range of actions, as well as increasing funding and capacity to make a difference at the population level.

Childhood overweight in Berlin: intra-urban differences and underlying influencing factors

“…Furthermore, by taking the socio-economic and cultural influencing factors of overweight and obesity into account, strategies should be developed in close collaboration with community members that specifically address the identified target groups at risk [ 50 ]. We therefore conclude with [ 51 ], in that we can only develop adequate and new decision-making guidelines once we have understood the associations between the neighbourhood characteristics and obesity in urban areas.…”

Eine räumlich differenzierte Analyse von Verkehrsunfällen mit Radfahrer- und Fußgängerbeteiligung in Berlin

“…Von besonderer Bedeutung ist dies in wachsenden Städten wie Berlin, in denen die Verdichtung zu einer stetigen Zunahme des innerstädtischen Straßenverkehrs führt. Die gegenwärtigen Konzepte zielen insbesondere auch auf gesundheitsrelevante Aspekte ab, nämlich auf die Reduktion von Verkehrsaufkommen, und damit weniger Lärm-und Luftbelastung, und auf die Förderung von aktiver Mobilität und den damit einhergehenden Gesundheitseffekten [1,2]. Insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Diskussionen zur Bewegungsfreundlichkeit von Räumen und der hohen und zum Teil steigenden Verbreitung von Übergewicht und Adipositas in Deutschland ist diese Entwicklung aus gesundheitswissenschaftlicher Sicht sehr zu begrüßen, denn die aktive Alltagsmobilität trägt einen wesentlichen Teilaspekt zur physischen Mobilität der städtischen Bevölkerung bei [3][4][5][6].…”

“…Darüber hinaus sind gesundheitliche Auswirkungen auf Atemwegserkrankungen durch Luftverschmutzung nicht zu vernachlässigen. Strategien, die die aktive Mobilität in Städten fördern sollen, müssen daher insbesondere auf die Reduktion von Verkehrsunfällen abzielen und eine sichere Infrastruktur bereitstellen [2]. Der Allgemeine Deutsche Fahrradclub (ADFC) kritisiert in Berlin z.…”

Does Distance Matter? Geographical Distance and Domestic Support for Mega Sports Events

“…By offering sports activities, a city can increase its attractiveness for potential residents and/or firms in order to increase tax receipts and other income (Faskunger, 2013;Preuss, 2007). One option when providing sports activities is to host mega sports events (MSE), such as world and continental championships, European Capital of Sports or the Olympic Games (Westerbeek & Linley, 2012).…”