Health-Enhancing Physical Activity/Core Document for Switzerland

Summary

This core document summarizes current knowledge in relation to physical activity promotion, referring to models expounded in recent academic studies. The sections discuss the various stages and interrelationships in the framework for physical activity promotion:

• The section entitled “Why physical activity is healthy” summarizes the health benefits of physical activity and the level of activity that is currently recommended.
• The section on “Activity levels in Switzerland” discusses the extent to which the Swiss population fulfills these physical activity recommendations.
• The section entitled “The costs of physical inactivity” describes the consequences of inactivity on society.
• The section on “Factors influencing our activity behaviour” looks at factors that affect physical activity habits, such as personal attitudes or conditions in our social or physical environment.
• The section entitled “Encouraging people to be physically active” describes the promising strategies and measures that can be used to combat inactivity.

How is this document connected to AV principles and project

The document illustrates the current level of PA in Switzerland together with pointing out the importance of HEPA. It also consists of relevant resources and good practices which can help in building capacities and knowledge-sharing.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT: the data of the costs of physical inactivity and factors influencing activity behaviour are good grounds for building further knowledge vase for active advocacy as well as the section describing promising strategies. The document is national core document so it is a good for comparison between the similar documents in different countries.