Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
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Daily Overview |
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WR2_3_2: Abstract presentations: Physical Activity for a Changing World: Policies, Systems and Communities Location: White room 2 Session Chair: Petru Sandu | |
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11:45am - 11:55am
Keeping People Moving in Crisis: Integrating Physical Activity into Emergency Preparedness 1: Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany; 2: Institute of Interdisciplinary Exercise Science and Sports Medicine (IIES), Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 3: Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Muenster, Germany; 4: Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubjana Ljubljana, Slovenia; 5: Division 3 Work and Health, Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) Berlin, Germany; 6: Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health (CPD), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany Purpose: Public health emergencies, including pandemics, climate-related disasters, and conflict settings, often disrupt physical activity (PA) through movement restrictions, infrastructure damage, and displacement. Lower PA worsens cardiometabolic health, physical functioning and mental well-being. Despite strong evidence that PA supports both physical and psychological resilience, PA promotion is rarely integrated into emergency preparedness and response strategies. Methods: A structured, narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed literature, international emergency preparedness frameworks (e.g. WHO and UN disaster risk strategies), and interdisciplinary expert consultation was conducted. This approach aimed to identify best practices on how to integrate PA into emergency management strategies (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters, human displacement, and climate-related events). Results: The synthesis identified six priority action areas: (1) integrate PA considerations into emergency preparedness and response plans; (2) maintain and adapt active mobility infrastructure during crises; (3) enable low-resource and remote PA delivery formats; (4) promote short, flexible, and safe PA sessions/routines; (5) tailor interventions to vulnerable groups; and (6) ensure multisectoral coordination. Conclusion: Integrating PA into emergency preparedness and response policy requires cross-sector collaboration between public health, sport, urban planning, occupational safety, and emergency management sectors. PA promotion can serve not only as a preventive health behaviour, but also as a public health resilience strategy to support mental health and social cohesion during crises. Developing safe, adaptable, and inclusive PA examples for low-resource environments and displaced populations may help reduce secondary negative health impacts during times of emergencies. | |
