Action grants for the initiative ‘HealthyLifestyle4All’: promotion of healthy lifestyles

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

POLICY CONTEXT

Lifestyle factors, including healthy diet and physical activity, have long been recognised as potentially important determinants of cancer risk and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. The 4th edition of the European Code against Cancer recommends that to reduce their risk of cancer people have a healthy diet, are physically active in everyday life and limit the time spent sitting. However, only 3% of national health budgets are currently spent on health promotion and disease prevention. Therefore, there is a need to support Member States’ and stakeholders’ actions to promote healthy diets regular physical activity and the creation of physical and social environments where making healthy choices is easy.

The action supports the implementation of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan objective to improve health promotion through access to healthy diets and physical activity, and implements the EU4Health Programme’s general objective of improving and fostering health in the Union (Article 3, point (a)) through the specific objective defined in Article 4, point (a) of Regulation (EU) 2021/522.

OBJECTIVES
The ‘HealthyLifestyle4All’ is an initiative, which will build upon the Tartu Call for a Healthy Lifestyle. The aim of this initiative will be to promote healthy lifestyles in the Union, in particular amongst children, and its scope will be widened to involve various Commission services, civil society organisations and the Member States.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES TO BE FUNDED UNDER THIS TOPIC

This specific action will support the ‘HealthyLifestyle4All’ initiative by strengthening the health literacy component for the promotion of healthy lifestyles with a focus on the school setting, ensuring equal access to the activities by all socio-economic groups, and thereby reducing health inequalities. The work will be done through a holistic approach of a healthy school initiative, supporting Member States to create a healthy school environment. The action will support public authorities to increase opportunities for regular physical activity, to promote healthy lifestyles by exchanges of best practices on health literacy, including the health aspects of the Union school scheme and the promotion of the European Code against Cancer. The project will develop proposals for effective uptake of successful practices on health literacy and healthy lifestyles including, nutrition, regular health-enhancing physical activity and mental health in schools.

This action will support activities involving key actors, including the Member States, regional and local governments, education establishments and civil society organisations, to help promote healthy choices and to make them easy and affordable choices. A Union approach will be developed and shared to promote investment in active mobility infrastructures, healthy canteens and to develop outreach measures. Targeted activities of the initiative will complement major Union initiatives, including the European Week of Sport, the EU school scheme, and the EU promotion policy for agri-food products, as well as the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production.

EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACT

The expected results include:

1. The creation of healthy school environments that promote healthy lifestyles with a spill-over effect on the whole community;
2. The broadening of cross-sectoral cooperation to promote healthy lifestyles across generations;
3. The investment in a healthy school environment, including healthy canteens.

The action will help to improve healthy lifestyles of children and young people and consequently reduce the incidence of NCDs and reduce their impacts on healthcare systems and social care systems, and ensure the growth and competitiveness of the economy by ensuring a healthy workforce.

SPECIFIC MANDATORY DELIVERABLES AND/OR MILESTONES

The activities will encourage and support schools and other educational settings to adopt the concept of healthy schools – also known as health-promoting schools, and will collect, develop, endorse and share evidence-based practices. The best practices should be in line with the “best practice criteria".

The best practices should be disseminated and implemented through networks of healthy schools. The best practices should be complementary to other ongoing European and national initiatives, focusing on successful practices on health literacy and healthy lifestyles in schools. The applicant is required to set up a consortium of national experts/ professionals having profound knowledge and experience of the concept of healthy schools. It should also build on existing initiatives and school networks. Emphasis of this project will be on the long-term engagement and sustainability of the actions implemented.

The best practices should address most of these areas:

• Regular physical activity including methodologies to measure children’s physical fitness
• Food and nutrition with a view to increasing the currently low uptake of fruit and vegetables among children
• Work to ensure that school canteens and cafeterias are designed to encourage children to choose healthier snacks and meals, in line with school national dietary recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines, including technical assistance to intervene and transform the school environment (layout of the canteens, making them smart, inexpensive, attractive and healthier)
• Assessment of the training needs of school staff including the knowledge of school cooks of healthy diets
• Awareness campaigns with social influencers at schools, nudging kids to healthy lives, improvements for vending and items they contain, reducing ads for junk food in the vicinity of schools, strategies and activities to include school staff, children and their parents in the school approach.
• Promotion of healthy lifestyles with a specific focus on tackling childhood obesity and other key risk factors
• Mental health and well-being
• Overarching objective of focus on vulnerable groups/reducing health inequalities

Specific action-level indicators for reporting purposes

Applicants must include data on the following indicators in their regular reporting activities in case of award, and must be prepared to include additional specific indicators where needed:

• Number of Member States involved in the funded actions
• Number of regional and local governments
• Number of civil society organisations, including youth organisations
• Number of schools /educational settings involved in the implementation of best practices (divided by primary, secondary or other educational settings).
• Number of pupils/ students involved in the funded actions brokend down by age.
• Number of people who indicate that they would agree to change their health behaviour and lifestyle after the end of the projec.