Developing an EU Standardized Physical Activity and Sport Monitoring System

EU Commissioner Tibor Navracsics and EUPASMOS project partners at the kick-off meeting in Budapest, January 2018

Article provided by Lea Samanta Nash, Paulo Rocha and Stephen Whiting, on behalf the EUPASMOS Coordination Team

*Disclaimer: the responsibility for opinions expressed in the article rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the World Health Organisation of the opinions expressed in it

On the 18^th and 19^th of January, the EUPASMOS project (European Union Physical Activity and Sport Monitoring System was launched in Budapest with the presence of the EU Commissioner, Mr. Tibor Navracsics, the Portuguese Secretary of State of Youth and Sport, Mr. João Paulo Rebelo and the Hungarian Deputy State Secretary for Sport, Mr. Péter Sárfalvi. This two-year innovative project is jointly funded by the European Commission and participating Member States. WHO Regional Office for Europe is actively supporting its coordination as an associate collaborative partner, along with TAFISA, ISCA, EuropeActive, EPSI, ISS, ECF and RKI.

The aim of EUPASMOS is to establish a harmonized monitoring system, through the development of an integrated methodological process to provide comparable, valid and reliable data on physical activity, sport participation and sedentary behaviors across EU Member States. This will support countries and other relevant stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of more effective, evidence-based policies and strategies across the EU and different governance levels.

The coordination team is led by Paulo Rocha from the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, and its implementation is initially planned in 12 countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, France, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Nonetheless, all EU Member States are encouraged to join the project.

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