Meer bewegen in en om de scholen in de Westelijke Tuinsteden.

Kinderen brengen een groot deel van de schooldag zittend door. Meer bewegen in en om de school zou een manier kunnen zijn om de gezondheid van alle kinderen op school te bevorderen. Vaker een actieve pauze om kinderen gedurende de schooldag meer in beweging te laten zijn en minder te laten zitten, lijkt een simpele aanpassing van het dagprogramma op school. De vakleerkrachten bewegingsonderwijs van Stichting Westelijke Tuinsteden (STWT) in Amsterdam willen vormgeven aan een dynamische schooldag waarin kinderen regelmatig bewegen. Het lectoraat Bewegen in en om school (BIOS) van de Hogeschool van Amsterdam heeft als missie de vakleerkracht te ondersteunen in zijn rol als expert in en ambassadeur van bewegen op school. Dit artikel beschrijft welke stappen zij gezamenlijk zetten voor het behalen van succes in een veranderproces

De dynamische schooldag: de complexiteit van het succesvol aanbieden van beweegactiviteiten

De laatste jaren is er meer aandacht voor het dynamischer maken van de schooldag. Dagen waarop meer wordt bewogen en minder gezeten. In binnen- en buitenland zijn er meerdere beweegprogramma’s voor scholen ontwikkeld. Uit onderzoek blijkt dat de resultaten daarvan wisselend zijn. Wat opvalt is dat er - naast verschil in kwaliteit van het onderzoek - nauwelijks aandacht besteed wordt aan factoren die de implementatie van een beweegprogramma succesvol maken (Cassar e.a., 2019). In dit artikel gaan we in op de mogelijkheden en de complexiteit van het realiseren van een dynamische schooldag

A Tale of Two Cities:Understanding Children's Cycling Behavior From the Socio-Ecological Perspective

The childhood obesity epidemic has persisted for over three decades, which has presented serious social, economic and health consequences worldwide. For researchers and policy makers alike, cycling has been a promising focus over recent years for developing long-term physically active lifestyles in urban environments, in addition to contributing to the global quest to combat climate change. Promoting cycling thus presents a win-win situation not just for individuals' well-being, but for multiple involved sectors such as public health, transport ministry and environmental agencies. For children, cycling promotes exercise engagement, active transport opportunities, motor skill development and social interaction. However, across European cities, there are considerable discrepancies in the uptake of cycling amongst children. To understand and subsequently promote children's cycling behavior, it is crucial that the complex social, physical and policy environment, and their interrelationships, are considered. Therefore, in this perspective article, we adopt the socio-ecological model to gain insight into how children's cycling behavior is shaped at the interpersonal, organizational and community level embedded within city policies, relevant to increase future cycling participation in children. Our perspective is based on a review of cycling policies of two European cities, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Newcastle (UK), where stark contrasts in children's cycling participation can be observed. Our findings show that cycling policies in Amsterdam have mainly contributed to comprehensive organizational level changes, for example, cycling infrastructure development within the city, whereby these initiatives have made significant progress at the community level where cycling has become part of the “Dutch culture”. Hence, cycling is a more common transportation mode among children in Amsterdam than in Newcastle. In Newcastle, policies primarily focus on organizational or community level changes, and progress has recently been accelerated in response to COVID-19. In addition to differences, we have also identified similar challenges in the two cities, such as the urgency to support uptake of cycling for children with low socio-economic background or challenges related to cultural differences. We also propose a “shared (cycle-)path” for policy makers and researchers as working together is crucial in producing multi-component interventions at a policy level that recognize individual, as well as interpersonal, community and organizational factors

A Tale of Two Cities: Understanding Children's Cycling Behavior From the Socio-Ecological Perspective

The childhood obesity epidemic has persisted for over three decades, which has presented serious social, economic and health consequences worldwide. For researchers and policy makers alike, cycling has been a promising focus over recent years for developing long-term physically active lifestyles in urban environments, in addition to contributing to the global quest to combat climate change. Promoting cycling thus presents a win-win situation not just for individuals' well-being, but for multiple involved sectors such as public health, transport ministry and environmental agencies. For children, cycling promotes exercise engagement, active transport opportunities, motor skill development and social interaction. However, across European cities, there are considerable discrepancies in the uptake of cycling amongst children. To understand and subsequently promote children's cycling behavior, it is crucial that the complex social, physical and policy environment, and their interrelationships, are considered. Therefore, in this perspective article, we adopt the socio-ecological model to gain insight into how children's cycling behavior is shaped at the interpersonal, organizational and community level embedded within city policies, relevant to increase future cycling participation in children. Our perspective is based on a review of cycling policies of two European cities, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Newcastle (UK), where stark contrasts in children's cycling participation can be observed. Our findings show that cycling policies in Amsterdam have mainly contributed to comprehensive organizational level changes, for example, cycling infrastructure development within the city, whereby these initiatives have made significant progress at the community level where cycling has become part of the “Dutch culture”. Hence, cycling is a more common transportation mode among children in Amsterdam than in Newcastle. In Newcastle, policies primarily focus on organizational or community level changes, and progress has recently been accelerated in response to COVID-19. In addition to differences, we have also identified similar challenges in the two cities, such as the urgency to support uptake of cycling for children with low socio-economic background or challenges related to cultural differences. We also propose a “shared (cycle-)path” for policy makers and researchers as working together is crucial in producing multi-component interventions at a policy level that recognize individual, as well as interpersonal, community and organizational factors