Movement is health
This is the motto of World Health Day, introduced by WHO. This motto focuses on the main factor in preserving and strengthening health - physical culture and various means of human motor activity.
Physical inactivity is a factor in the occurrence of many diseases, primarily ischemic heart disease, stroke, hypertension, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, osteochondrosis, etc. In people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is twice as high as in physically active ones. Physical inactivity can be compared in terms of the degree of risk of developing cardiovascular diseases with the most well-known factors - smoking and hypercholesterolemia.
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the ten causes of mortality and disability, notes WHO. From the late 80s to the beginning of the 21st century, the prevalence of obesity in Europe increased by 10-40%. Only a third of young people adhere to an active lifestyle.
Physical activity improves both physical and mental well-being and has a positive effect on all body systems.
In Ukraine, considerable experience in physical education of people of all ages and social status was accumulated at one time. At that time, the incidence and spread of diseases were much lower. Their steady growth since the beginning of the 90s has been slowed down only now, when there has been a real opportunity to implement many ideas, developments and programs.
The benefits of physical culture are beyond doubt, but only a small part of people systematically engage in it. Only a third of the population has the level of physical activity recommended for improving the condition of the cardiovascular system. According to medical and social research conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of Public Health, 37.9% of urban residents of Ukraine aged 15 and older have a weight above the norm (body mass index more than 27 kg/m2). Of these, 17.5% suffer from obesity.
The situation is similar among children and adolescents. At school, the static load of students accounts for up to 72% of the total study time, which leads to hypodynamia, violations of the mechanisms of self-regulation of blood circulation, and the activity of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Due to studying at desks that do not correspond to the height of half of schoolchildren, scoliosis is registered in 20% of students. Outdoor and sports games are not widespread among children, almost no one goes skiing or skating in the winter. Only 8.6% of children are engaged in sports and youth sports.
According to scientific research, almost 75% of students do not have the formed motivation to engage in physical education and sports. Young men and women are mostly not ready for production activities, where physical labor prevails. Only 10% of young men can be recognized as ready for service in the army.
The population of Ukraine as of January 1, 2002 was 48.8 million people. At the same time, the natural population growth remains negative. The reasons for this situation are the lack of healthy lifestyle skills among a significant part of the population, unsatisfactory financial situation, and the negative impact of the environment.
And yet, despite the predominance of the therapeutic factor, the Ukrainian healthcare system has retained in its development strategy the focus on introducing the principles of a healthy lifestyle.
State policy is being purposefully and consistently formed, which is reflected in the Concept of the Development of Healthcare for the Population of Ukraine. One of the ultimate goals of implementing the Concept is precisely the preservation and strengthening of the health of the population, the extension of the period of active longevity, and the longevity of people's lives. Among the most important state measures for the implementation of state policy in the field of healthcare are ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, directing healthcare to strengthening measures to prevent diseases and prevent infectious diseases.
Since 1995, the Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, has been participating in the international project “European Network of Health Promoting Schools”, since 1998 - in the Ukrainian-Canadian project “Youth for Health”.
The cross-sectoral comprehensive program “Health of the Nation”, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, has clearly defined the main strategic directions aimed at increasing the physical activity of individuals and groups of the population, namely:
o creating conditions for physical education, a developed infrastructure and the health and active recreation industry;
o informing the general public about the health-improving effects of physical education through the media;
o direct training and counseling of patients in the primary health care system;
o continuous medical and hygienic training and education of people at all stages of socialization of the individual;
o ensuring physical education of the younger generation in educational institutions.
Physical culture is a vital need for every person and the entire society. In terms of its impact on health, it can replace any medicine, but all the medicines in the world cannot replace the impact of physical activity.