How can we encourage key players to get involved in the promotion of healthy lifestyles? The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA), JOGG/Youth Health Community (YHC) and Schuttelaar & Partners (S&P) have driven this idea forward and invited stakeholders to get on board. Over the summer months, around 70 organisations and individuals signed the call to action, aimed at making the transition towards healthier lifestyles possible for all Europeans, with Commissioner Mariya Gabriel recognising these efforts on Monday during the #BeActive Awards. 

During the encounter, the three parties handed over the list of signatories of the call to action, which was launched at the HealthyLifestyle4All event co-organised by ISCA, JOGG/YHC and S&P and hosted by MEP Tomasz Frankowski in June at the European Parliament. 

After receiving the list of the organisations, Commissioner Gabriel shared her enthusiasm: “I am very glad to see the momentum that has been built with our #HealthyLifestyle4All initiative! This Call to Action is a significant contribution, and I am thrilled to see 70 organisations advocate for cross-sector action and commit to making healthier lifestyle choices possible for all Europeans. In this European Year of Youth 2022, I commend the focus on supporting our youth, for a concrete legacy of our joint efforts with the European sport community. Let us build on the momentum in this second year of the #HealthyLifestyle4All initiative – together!”

A much-needed call to action, given the recent numbers. Currently, almost two-thirds of adults and 1 in 3 children in the WHO European Region are living with overweight or obesity (WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022). But numbers keep rising steadily, as a result of physical inactivity, unhealthy food intake, mental distress, and poor quality of life. The persistence of such unhealthy lifestyles has led to the surge of non-communicable and chronic diseases across Europe, coming to represent a real global challenge for society and forcing us to look for systemic change. 

This is a change these three organisations have already been working towards. JOGG, a Dutch-based organisation works on the basis of an integrated community-based approach - the JOGG-approach - in more than 200 Dutch municipalities, and connects roughly a hundred other partners from civil society, fundamental and applied research and the business community to make the living environment of children and youth healthier. ISCA, a non-governmental and not-for-profit umbrella association, has delivered over 70 EU-funded projects and has continued with its advocacy for the role of grassroots sport in society. Its international campaigns include MOVE Week, No Elevators Day and the European School Sports Day. Schuttelaar & Partners continues to make strides towards a healthier and more sustainable society, collaborating with non-profits, industry, institutions, and policymakers across all levels, for example its noteworthy campaign towards a smoke-free start of newborns across the Netherlands, which has seen great success. 

At present, the three organisations are continuing in their efforts to advocate for a society in which healthy choices become the easier choices by reaching out to policymakers and setting up a working meeting in which different stakeholders are given the opportunity to share their main learnings and join efforts in the near future.

Learn more about ISCA Health and our recent events

Photos: European Union, 2022