About our project

“The updated Flemish health recommendations regarding sedentary behaviour and body movement plead for a healthy mix of sitting down, standing up and moving around, on a daily basis (Vlaams Instituut Gezond Leven, 2017). Recent research shows Flemish young people sit down for too long and don’t have enough exercise. In addition, good practices need to be developed to stimulate physical activity and reduce sitting down time in a teaching context.

In the current project, we want to explore methods to stimulate young people to move about and sit down less. In order to create so called ‘vital schools’, we want to perform a ‘field scan’ of exercise policies in schools. Based on this scan and in consultation with all stakeholders, a vital schools action plan will be created, implemented and evaluated. Possible actions include: developing an exercise-friendly classroom, devising more active teaching forms or combining new educational technologies with activity trackers and smart technology. The project goals can only be attained if we find ways to align these vital school actions with the mindset and environment of the young people we target. The actions that arise from this project will be categorised in accordance with the new exercise triangle in order to maximise transparency for the educational field.”