A better life for children and adolescents through diet and exercise

The present inspiration catalogue is compiled as a follow-up to the Nordic Plan of Action on Better Health and Quality of Life Through Food and Physical Activity. The catalogue is the first of a series planned for release every other year. The catalogue deals with initiatives for children and young people with a focus on Best Practice.

The joint Nordic Plan of Action sets a number of objectives for what we in the Nordic region shall achieve in the fields of diet and physical activity before 2001, in addition to visions for status in 2021. These goals and visions are described in the catalogue. The overall goals are all about getting more people to eat healthily and to increase the physical activity level of the general population.

As a background for the initiatives, the catalogue contains a short description of the individual countries' legislation and action plans in the areas of healthy food and physical activity. For each Nordic country, initiatives are described that have the purpose of promoting children's and/or young people's health through diet and physical activity. At the same time, 2-3 initiatives are pointed out as Best Practices for the individual countries, which are marked in the catalogue under separate sections. These Best Practices are deemed by the countries as being projects that have or have had particularly good effects on dietary habits and/or physical activity levels.

The Nordic countries are well on the way with good projects and we can learn much from each other. Thus, the catalogue is expected to be followed-up later with Best Practices on other themes, such as common monitoring methods for development within the fields of healthy food and physical activity.