healthy and active ageing - EuroHealthNet's Healthy Ageing Website

D. Physical activity and nutrition
1. Fit as a Fiddle
Promoting healthy behaviours among older people through participation in
social activities
This five-year-project programme, which is being implemented across the UK with finding
from the Big Lottery Fund, supports people aged over 50 with physical activity‚ healthy
eating and mental well-being through educational and training programmes.
More information is available at:
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/fit-as-a-fiddle/
2. Senior games
Promoting physical activity in older people through a fun sport competition event
In Denmark, the WHO healthy City of Horsens, organised the “senior games” in 2008, inviting older people
from Horsens, as well as from other cities in the Healthy Cities network, to participate in three days of
games involving physical activity. The event, which was open to everyone free of charge, demonstrated
that physical activity can be fun and a great way to engage with other people. The event attracted close to
1000 people from across Europe, and was facilitated with the help of volunteers and a range of sponsors.
http://www.horsenssundby.dk/app/doc/materiale_7993715.pdf [in Danish]
3. The Groningen Active Living Project (GALM)
Encouraging people aged 55-65 to engage in a more active life
This project, one of the best-disseminated physical activity and sports
stimulating interventions in the Netherlands, began in 1997 and was
developed by researchers from Groningen University on the basis of
social behavioural theory. People who were not already meeting physical
activity recommendations were invited to come to fitness tests for older
adults. Since 1997 more than 60,000 older adults have been invited for
a fitness test, which represents the first phase of the programme. GALM
then provides an exercise stimulation programme, enabling older people to
discover what type of sports or physical activity they most enjoy, including
individual sports (jogging, swimming) and group activities (indoor hockey, indoor soccer) with and
without competition elements. The goal is to teach people to be active in an all-round manner. Each
exercise session lasts 60 minutes, followed by 15 minutes to engage socially over a cup of coffee. All
sessions are led by licensed instructors in the area of exercise and sport who passed an additional
three-day GALM course.
More information is available at:
http://www.galm.nl/cat/317/Home (in Dutch)
http://www.healthproelderly.com/database/plists/singleview/164
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