History and background
 

History and background of EUNAAPA

European nations face rapid demographic changes in the coming decades. In almost all European nations, the number of older people is projected to increase, having profound impact on many aspects of society. improving the quality of life of older people and reducing their burdens of disease and disability will become increaslingly important goals of welfare policy.

The cost for the provision of health care services have increased considerably in almost all European nations. These costs increases have led to changes in health and welfare systems and exert constant pressure for further costly reorganisation. Regular physical activity can prolong the independence of older people. The promotion of physical activity is cost-effective in reducing health care costs.

Physical activity has been labelled a "best buy" for public health. Compared to other health promotion activities (e.g. reducing smoking rates, lowering cholesterol levels), the promotion of physical activity has been shown to be a cost-effectve measure yielding a high return for investment.

A European Network for action on Ageing and Physcial Activity will have several benefits for health promotion in Europe:

  1. compared to policies in other areas of health promotion (e.g. smoking prevention) policies related to physical activity are currently not integrated across Europe. EUNAAPA provides an exchange platform for policy makers, providers and professinals and assist in integrating policies for the promotion of physical activity among older people.
  2. Physical activity is influenced not only by sport and health promotion policies, but also by policies in other sectors such as transportation or urban development. EUNAAPA will make policymakers in these sectors aware of the physical activity needs of older people and provide assistance in finding appropriate solutions.
  3. Current health promotion practice tends to focus on the needs of the middle aged people, ignoring the demographic challenge of an ageing European population. EUNAAPA will take a Europe-wide approach to emphasizing the special needs of older people in health promotion.