Six areas with more physical activity
The investigation believes that it is particularly important to encourage more physical activity in the following areas:
— School, preschool and leisure
— Community planning
— The transport sector
— Leisure, sports and outdoor life
— Working life and employment
— Health care and care
With regard to limiting screen time, any recommendations are currently being investigated by the Public Health Authority.
Source: The committee for the promotion of increased physical activity (2020:06)
Sweden belongs to the countries in the world where the population is the most sedentary. We spend 70 percent of our waking hours sitting or lying down. This has led to increased obesity and poorer mental health, according to a government investigation that will be presented on Thursday.
One reason for the increase in sedentary behavior is digitization. However, the investigators have no proposals to limit screen time for Swedes.
“Instead of focusing on reducing screen time, we want to point to alternatives to sitting in front of a screen,” says Per Nilsson, chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Increased Physical Activity, which produced the report.
Reduced costs
If the population moved more in everyday life, the costs of sick leave and healthcare would decrease, and society would gain billions of kroner, the report authors believe.
Therefore, the government needs to come up with a national strategy with changes at the societal level that make people move more, the committee believes.
A concrete proposal concerns the transport policy goals. The committee wants the government to update these so that they favor “active transport”, i.e. pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Assignment to the Swedish Transport Administration
In addition, the investigators want the Swedish Transport Administration to be given a strengthened mission for this.
“It is included that if the Swedish Transport Administration gets increased responsibility for health, it automatically becomes something they need to look at,” says Kajsa Mickelsson, the committee’s principal secretary.
Another proposal concerns the introduction of a new state aid of SEK 100 million per year to “business-promoting organisations”. These are organizations that are not part of the National Sports Confederation but which nevertheless contribute to the population moving more, for example outdoor organizations and the Leisure Bank which lend outdoor equipment for free. At the same time, the sports movement must receive continued support.