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Public space

Physical Activity Promotion

CONTEXT

Physical inactivity is classified as one of the main risk factors that cause death and disability according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (2016). A sedentary lifestyle is the cause of many chronic diseases. The latest studies conducted by the OECD (2014) state that around 16% of Spanish adults are obese and almost 40% are overweight. One in four Spanish children suffers one of these two problems.

Physical inactivity is associated with premature mortality, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, some cancers (colon and breast), diabetes, depression and the deterioration of cognitive capacities at early ages (dementia) (Hamer & Chida 2009, Kyu et al. 2016, Woodcock et al. 2011).

OBJECTIVE

• Promote physical activity.
• Integrate physical activity into people’s daily routine (e.g. through the transport sector by promoting walking and cycling).

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The approach to interventions in the public space should not only consider the promotion of sport through participation in specific events, but also prioritise interventions in the public space that facilitate the practice of continuous physical activity, given that it is the most efficient way of improving health and adopting an active lifestyle.

Such interventions may be in the urban space or in the natural environment:

• In general foster an active lifestyle and healthy habits (e.g. climb the stairs instead of taking the lift, enjoy more holidays thanks to physical activity, take the children to school on foot, etc.).
• Foster active and public transport as a method of integrating physical activity into the transport sector. Provide separate, safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Prioritise these means of transport in road traffic.
• Incorporate green (and blue) zones on the routes of pedestrians and cyclists. They are the preferred areas for physical activity, given that it is proven that they increase the level of both enjoyment and physical intensity (Gladwell et al. 2013).
• Green zones must be equipped with infrastructure suitable for walking, running and cycling to facilitate physical activity.
• Provide hydration stations and shaded areas (e.g. trees) in physical and sporting activity areas.
• Incorporate routes in the area surrounding the municipality to walk, run or cycle in safe conditions.
• Install milestones on the circuits and paths for walking, running or cycling, with elements to allow people to stretch at the beginning and at the end.
• If there is enough demand, incorporate singular sports areas: vandal-proof sports and leisure facilities, skate parks, basketball courts, children’s play parks, ping-pong tables, etc.
• Adapt the flooring for sporting use (woodchips or natural surfaces like grass for running circuits, elastic flooring in play areas, etc.).
• Foster the opening of schoolyards after class as an extension of the public space and provide sporting activities for children and families.
• Create physical activities in public spaces like parks and civic centres (e.g. dancing, aerobic exercises and gymnastic and jogging circuits) that are affordable for all.
• Adapt unused infrastructure (roads, train tracks, river beds, etc.) for sports use.
• Foster safe physical activity on the beach (e.g. include buoy lines, courts for volleyball and other sports, and lighting when the sun goes down, etc.).

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

LEGISLATION

• Decret legislatiu 1/2000, de 31 de juliol, pel qual s'aprova el Text únic de la Llei de l'esport. L'article 48 assenyala que les administracions catalanes han de promoure l'esport d'esbarjo, lleure i salut, i han de facilitar l'activitat física lliure espontània i organitzada, donant, dins les seves possibilitats, el màxim d'alternatives al major nombre de persones. En qualsevol cas, cal donar oportunitats especials als joves, a les persones de la tercera edat, als discapacitats i també als sectors de la societat més deficitaris.
• Pla director d'instal·lacions i equipaments esportius de Catalunya (PIEC), maig 2005.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

• Diputació de Barcelona. Àrea d'Igualtat i Ciutadania. Reflexions en femení. Dones i Esport.
• Vallbona Calbó, Carles; Roure Cuspinera, Eulàlia; Violan Fors, Mariona, 2007. Guia Prescripció d'exercici físic per la salut (PEFS). Generalitat de Catalunya.
• Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Salut, 2010. Pla Integral per a la Promoció de la Salut mitjançant l'Activitat Física i l'Alimentació Saludable (PAAS).
• Generalitat de Catalunya, 2008. Pla d'Activitat Física Esport i Salut (PAFES).
• Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias, 2011. Guía para la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en la gestión deportiva local.
• OMS, 2010. Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health.

Scientific papers:

• Gladwell, V.F., 2013. The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all. Extreme Physiology & Medicine, 2(3), 1-7.
• Hamer & Chida 2009. Physical activity and risk of neurodegenerative disease: a systematic review of prospective evidence. Psychological Medicine, 39(1), 3-11.
• Kyu, H.H., et al., 2016. Physical activity and risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and ischemic stroke events: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. BMJ, 354(i3857), 1-9.
• Mayer, J.P., 2015. Daily Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction across Adulthood Jaclyn. Developmental Psychology, 51(10), 1407-1419.
• Mueller, N., et al. 2015. Health impact assessment of active transportation: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine, 76, 103-114.
• Rojas-Rueda, D., et al. 2011. The health risks and benefits of cycling in urban environments compared with car use: health impact assessment study. BMJ, 343(d4521).
• Woodcock, J., et al. 2011. Non-vigorous physical activity and all-cause mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. International Journal of Epidemiology, 40(1),121-138.

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

• Àmbit Equipaments. Informació i Participació. Fitxa "Promoció de l'activitat física".

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