The Luxembourg Institute of Health has incorporated the HEPA (Health-Enhancing Physical Activity) Europe network.
In an attempt to inform patients of the benefits of sport for health as well as activities offered by the institute, LIH has incorporated the HEPA network. Whilst the benefits of physical activity for certain illnesses have been proven, this is little known to the general public.
Following a round-table discussion in 2012 which brought together key figures in the physical activity sector, the Oeuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte took the decision to invest in the domain of sports therapy. The association also tasked the LIH’s Sports Medicine Research Laboratory with the mission of implementing the project Sport-Santé, which aims to promote physical activity as a therapeutic remedy.
In Luxembourg, patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and rare diseases have the choice of over 55 hours of physical activity per week, information on which can be found on the project’s website www.sort-sante.lu. Courses are run by specialised instructors.
The quality of this array of activities responds to the needs of many patients who are still uninformed on the matter; as such, there is a need for promotional strategies.
The addition of HEPA Europe to LIH on 30 September 2016 allows the latter to work more closely with its European neighbours. The collaborative project helps promote health through physical activity by creating a shared professional network for innovative approaches to the promotion of sport.
LIH and the Sport-Santé project hope that through this collaboration, they can benefit from their counterparts’ experience and have an active role in developing recommendations to be put forward to the European Commission and the World Health Organisation.
