Erfarenheter av Fysisk Aktivitet på Recept FaR, 715 kB - Statens ...

Summary
Physical Activity on Prescription (FaR)
Lena V. Kallings and Matti Leijon.
The National Institute of Public Health in Sweden and The Centre for Public Health
Sciences, Linköping, Sweden.
Background
erfarenheter av fysisk aktivitet på recept – far 13
People in modern-day society have become less and less physically active, which has welldocumented
negative consequences for health and well-being. There is a growing awareness
at all levels of society and many countries show an interest in following development.
Physical inactivity has become an important public health issue that must be highlighted at
the local and national level. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (1, 2) concludes that a
lack of physical activity is a major underlying cause of death, disease, and disability.
Inactivity, or sedentarism, is one of the 10 leading global causes of death and disability.
More than two million deaths each year are attributable to physical inactivity.
Sweden on the move - 2001 was a national programme that focused on people's need for
physical activity in order to promote health and well-being. The National Institute of
Public Health was commissioned by the Government to plan for a Physical Activity Year in
2001 in collaboration with a number of government agencies and NGOs. This year marked
the start of a long-term strategy of change with the aim of promoting health and preventing
disease by increased physical activity. The main emphasis of the message has been the
importance of daily physical activity, including exercise, sport and recreation, to promote
good health. The message is based on the principle that 30 minutes of daily physical activity
can prevent a wide range of illnesses and that physical inactivity in Sweden is one of the
major factors behind preventable illness and premature death. The good results achieved in
2001 have led to a new commission from the Government – “Keep Sweden Moving” –
which instructs the National Institute of Public Health to continue its work to promote
physical activity among the population in 2003 and 2004. The commission also includes a
request for a proposed national strategy for increased physical activity in society.
The strategy of “Sweden on the move” was based on settings, one of which was the
healthcare system. The overall goals in the area of healthcare were to make healthcare professionals
more aware of the preventive effects of physical activity, to develop guiding
principles for different patient groups and to support research. A national study was therefore
initiated by the National Institute of Public Health to study the concept of “Physical
Activity on Prescription” (Swedish: FaR).
This kind of more formal prescription system is quite new in Sweden even though some