![]() | Feature: Healthy Living Move for Health | No.49 January 2007 |
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Abstract
The purpose of the Agita Mundo Network
is to promote physical activity as a healthy behavior for people of all
ages, nations and characteristics. The Agita Mundo will stimulate research,
encourage the dissemination of information on the health benefits of physical
activity and effective strategies to increase physical activity, advocate
for physical activity and health and support the development of national
and local programs and networks for physical activity promotion. A group
of International and National Institutions met at the XXV International
Symposium on Sports Sciences in São Paulo and agreed that an independent
network was needed to stimulate global physical activity promotion and
coordinate the World Day of Physical Activity. The gathered institutions
strongly recommend forming a network focused on physical activity promotion
to carry out these goals.
![]() ![]() Introduction
Two million deaths worldwide each year are attributed to physical inactivity
with the major consequences being morbidity from obesity, hypertension,
diabetes and depression (WHO, 2004). The direct medical costs of physical
inactivity have been calculated in different countries. In the United
States this value reaches about US$76 billion per year. Even in developing
countries such as Brazil this figure is high. Data from Sao Paulo State
(population approximately 40 million people) shows that the figure has
reached around US$34.7 million, which represents 2% to 3% of total medical
costs.
Agita Sao Paulo Program is a multilevel
intervention program to promote physical activity and health benefits
of an active life-style in a population of over 40 million inhabitants,
distributed in 645 cities, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was launched
on December 1996, by the Physical Fitness Research Center from Sao Caetano
do Sul (Centro de Estudos do Laboratório de Aptidao Física
de Sao Caetano do Sul - CELAFISCS) and the Sao Paulo State Health Secretariat.
The main message used by the Program to promote the adoption of an active
lifestyle was recommended in 1995 by the American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM) and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) (Pate et al. 1995). The
World Health Organization (WHO) has praised it as a model for other developing
countries. The Program became a role model for similar programs in other
states of Brazil, in other Latin American countries, and in 2002 led to
the launch of the Physical Activity Network of the Americas (PANA).
The Agita Mundo - World Day of Physical
Activity has been organised since 2002, comprising of more than
1000 events, in more than 100 countries in the five continents, every
year. The outcomes of this day inspired the creation of an International
Network to promote physical activity around the world. The creation of
the network also considered the following relevant issues:
The Agita Mundo Network Creation
During the XXV International Symposium of Sports Science organised by
CELAFISCS and annually held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a meeting was planned
and many international programs for physical activity promotion representatives
were invited.
Considering the institutions’ positions, they agreed to launch
the Agita Mundo Network, that has among its purposes the roles to: a
- stimulate global physical activity promotion, and, b - coordinate
World Day for Physical Activity celebrations.
An international advisory board provides guidance and oversight to
the Network. Agita Mundo has the support of national and international
institutions (universities, sports institutions, research centers, private
sector, governmental and non-governmental). At this point, more than
200 groups from 59 countries are taking part in a strategic coalition
approach, by using a so called “two hats approach”, where
governmental, or non-governmental channels are taken to maximise efficacy
and increase the impact of Network actions. Purpose of Agita Mundo Network
Agita Mundo Network purposes include, among others: to stimulate research
and encourage the dissemination of information on the health benefits
of physical activity and effective strategies to increase physical activity;
to advocate for physical activity and health; to support the development
of national and local programs and networks for physical activity promotion.
The gathered institutions strongly recommended forming a nongovernmental
organisation (NGO) focused on physical activity promotion to carry out
the following goals:
Developing Activities
The Agita Mundo meetings have defined a 5-year agenda, summarised in
the Agita Mundo Global Map. Activities comprise:
World Day for Physical Activity
The strategies to celebrate World Day for Physical Activity include:
This day has been celebrated since 2002 in many countries around the
world, mobilising thousands of people regarding the benefits of regular
physical activity. ![]() ![]()
International Agita Mundo Courses
To increase human resources in the sector to promote
physical activity, the International Course on Physical Activity
and Public Health-Agita Mundo was planned, with the support of
CDC and IUHPE (International Union of Health Promotion and Education).
At this moment, six courses have been organised in:
More than 260 professionals have participated the first four courses,
representing 14 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua,
Peru, Portugal, and Venezuela. In Malaysia, more 60 professionals from
20 different countries took part. ![]() ![]() Countries Participants in Agita Mundo Network
Partners of the Agita Mundo Network sign an official letter of adhesion
(see example below). The countries that are part of the network include:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, England, France, Ghana, Germany, Greece, India,
Indonesian, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands,
Nigeria, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia,
South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay. ![]() Agita Mundo & the Global Strategy of Diet and Physical Activity
The Agita Mundo Network in its Annual Meeting in 2005 decided to contribute to implementate the WHO Global Strategy on Diet and PA. Some of the decisions are sumarized in Table 1. Table 1. Actions proposed for Agita Mundo
Netwrok to implementate the WHO Global Startegy on Diet and Physical Activity,
2005.
Figure 1. Pyramid of PA
and Healthy Diet Launched by Agita Mundo Network in Spanish and Portuguese
![]() References
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Contact
Victor KR Matsudo Center of Studies from the Physical Fitness Research Laboratory São Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS) São Paulo, Brazil matsudo@celafiscs.org
Agita Mundo
CELAFISCS Caixa Postal 168 São Caetano do Sul 09501-000 São Paulo BRAZIL agitamundo@rafapana.org Internet: www.rafapana.org ![]() http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 |