139 supporters of the global alliance
139 medical and scientific organizations together with sport and governmental institutions publish a standpoint on the need of a “Global Alliance for the Promotion of Physical Activity”
Steinacker JM, et al. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2023;0:e001626.
doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001626
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression and cancers, are on the rise worldwide and are often associated with a lack of physical activity (PA). Globally, the levels of PA among individuals are below the recommendations of the World health organization (WHO). A lack of PA can increase morbidity and mortality, worsen the quality of life and increase the economic burden on individuals and society. In response to this trend, numerous organisations came together under one umbrella in Hamburg, Germany, in April 2021 and signed the ‘Hamburg Declaration’. This represents an international commitment to take all necessary actions to increase PA and improve the health of individuals to entire communities.
When physicians and all other health care professions focus primarily on the individuum, the ‘Global Alliance for the Promotion of Physical Activity’ calls on collaboration to maintain their patient´s active but also be responsible in their communities and all levels to increase health for the entire population. The ‘Hamburg Declaration’ calls on national and international policymakers to take concrete action to promote daily PA and exercise at a population level and in healthcare settings.
The ‘Global Alliance for the Promotion of Physical Activity’ calls on all stakeholders in the community: active hospitals, physical activity specialists, community services and healthcare providers, achieving sustainable health goals for their patients/clients.
Professor Fabio Pigozzi, President of the International Federation of Sports Medicine and Professor of Internal Medicine and Deputy Rector of the University of Rome "Foro Italico": “World Sports medicine is supporting this important initative, it is time for medical doctors to prescribe activity for patients”.
Professor Juergen Steinacker, Chair of the Hamburg declaration, Chair of the “European Initiative for Exercise in Medicine” and Professor of Medicine at Ulm University Hospital: “Hospitals and health care providers should be challenged to achieve long-time sustainable health goals, to ensure that their patients come back to a healthy and physical active life style. We call for active hospitals which should focus not only on procedures and short-term outcome but on sustainability and future life style of patients”
The ´Hamburg declaration´ is also endorsed by the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, chaired by Professor Uğur Erdener which underlines the importance of physical activity for public health. Professor Erdener: “I would like to congratulate you together. We are very happy for being a part of this important initiatives. “ IOC underlines it´s support by a press release: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-reiterates-its-support-for-the-hamburg-declaration-to-tackle-physical-inactivity
IOC and WHO have also created the global action „Lets be active“with a strong message with the Olympic Day on the public with reached millions of participants: Millions of people moved for Olympic Day 2023 around the world (olympics.com)
Professor Yannis Pitsiladis, IOC Medical and Scientific Commission and Professor of Sports Sciences at the University of Honkong: “We need to leverage at the latest tech. Make it easy and fun for people to get into PA through gamification, rewards and community building.