Many of the serious diseases of adult life have their origins in a younger age. One of them is obesity, a symptom of an imbalance between caloric intake as food and calories expended through physical activity. This is a strong rationale for encouraging the development of healthy habits among young people.
This EHN publication sets out specific recommendations for enhancing the uptake of physical activity by children and young people. The recommendations are grouped around the hierarchy of influences on a young person’s life, from home and family through school, community and the environment, to national and EU policies.