In modern societies, the role of exercise is important in maintaining and improving the body weight of the individual and the general improvement of health, as well. The student population, due to the many hours and perennial studies on the acquisition of knowledge, has recently presented physical inactivity, poor dietary habits and wrong attitude of daily life.
All the above has led to a dramatic increase of the obesity worldwide in major developed and developing countries. Recent studies published, reveal that over the last 20 years in America, there was a sharp decrease in physical activity and an increase in average body mass index (BMI), while the calorie intake has remained constant.
The researchers, among others, consider that a decrease in physical activity during leisure time at national level, especially among young adults (18-39 years), may be responsible for the upward trend in obesity rates.
Also, another group of students (disabled) are in most of the Universities around Europe excluded from common sports as there are no guidelines to use for the training of these sports.
For these reasons, it is recommended that sport federations/sports unions/sports houses to develop guidelines, models and rules of good practice focusing on mass athletics and the education of students/trainers/clubs for the prevention of sport exclusion of students with these special needs. It also encourages the networking of Universities and national agencies on these issues at the European level.
The project will develop and evaluate these models across different European countries to provide deliverables that could be used around Europe.
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein