Project led by the University of Coimbra receives over 1 million euros funding to engage schools in the promotion of healthy lifestyles
RYHEALTH - A holistic approach to rocking your health is focused on bringing together schools, families, children and youth to promote a healthy lifestyle from an early age.
English version: Diana Taborda
The European project RYHEALTH – A holistic approach to rocking your health”, led by the University of Coimbra, aims to bring together schools, families, children and young people to promote healthy lifestyles from an early age. “RYHEALTH”, which will gather institutions from Portugal, Germany and Spain, will receiver over EUR 1 million funding from the European Commission in the framework of the EU4Health programme, which supports projects that tackle health challenges.
The project addresses a healthy lifestyle in a holistic way - combining physical activity, healthy diet, mental health and well-being - with the engagement of both family and school, targeting elementary and high school students. The core purpose of the work that will be developed until 2025, is that "children and young people stop managing their health by extrinsic factors and start making choices about exercise, food, among others, in an intrinsic way, so that a healthy life becomes a choice and not an imposition", explains Paula Tavares, professor at the Faculty of Sports Science and Physical Education of the University of Coimbra (FCDEFUC) and coordinator of the project.
Tavares adds that “Promoting this holistic vision among children and young people is vital for them to experience, learn and have healthy behaviours in a sustainable way throughout their lives, and school is a very relevant place for them to acquire and experience these behaviours". Moreover, by involving families, the project also aims to have "an intergenerational impact, in which everyone actively participates in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, regardless of age", she highlights.
The activities to be developed by “RYHEALTH – A holistic approach to rocking your health” are based on five key concepts: 1) supporting the promotion of outdoor activities and healthy lifestyles among students in elementary and high schools; 2) “improving the competences of teachers, students, and parents to embed health promotion and disease prevention through healthy lifestyle behaviours among students and young people.” 3) facilitating and increasing the practice of health-enhancing activities from an early age; 4) raising awareness of the positive impacts of healthy habits; 5) building a network of institutions, schools, students and families in Europe to promote sport, outdoor activities and healthy lifestyles.
The project will also involve the Outdoor Against Cancer organization (Germany), the International Montessori School Munich - Campus di Monaco (Germany) and the University of Cadiz (Spain). At the University of Coimbra, the project also includes the participation of Alain Massart, Beatriz Gomes, Maria João Campos and Paulo Nobre, professors at the Faculty of Sports Sciences and Physical Education.
More information about “RYHEALTH – A holistic approach to rocking your health” available: https://ryhealth.net/.