On the move. The effect of the built environment on our physical activity

A considerable number of people are overweight or obese. This is because many people comparatively eat too much and move too little. Apart from this, it has been established that too little physical activity leads to a high burden of disease and death in the population. All the more reason then to encourage people to take part in sufficient physical activity. Until recently attention tended to focus on influencing behaviour by providing information and promoting participation in sport. The conviction is now steadily gaining ground that the layout of the living environment can also encourage a greater degree of physical activity. Also acting on behalf of her colleagues at the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment therefore requested the Health Council of the Netherlands to produce an advisory report on the role of the physical environment in supporting and encouraging a physically active lifestyle.