Government is expanding movement units: Fit for the future!

Government is expanding movement units: Fit for the future!

The Austrian Federal Government decided in the last Council of Ministers the continuation and expansion of the daily movement unit in kindergartens and schools. This initiative is now being extended for the school years 2025/26 and 2026/27, while the financing has been increased by 1.5 million euros. In the future, sports specialist associations will be increasingly involved in the implementation of these movement units in order to achieve a greater reach. According to [vienna.at] (https://www.vienna.at/fortset-und-ausbau-der-ta-movement unit-in-Kindergaert-und-Schulen/9417839), over 300,000 children in around 1,500 kindergartens and 2,300 elementary schools take part in more than 200,000 additional exercise units.

movement is understood as a central basic need for young people who have a positive impact on physical, mental and social development. However, current data show alarming figures: only about 15 percent of girls and 29 percent of the boys reach the minimum activity time of 60 minutes a day recommended by the WHO. These findings have led the government to a realignment of its movement promotion strategies, as the sports state secretary Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ) emphasized in a previous statement.

challenges and goals of the initiative

The introduction of the daily movement unit throughout Austria was tested in model regions in 2022. The decision to implement nationwide was recently made on the basis of insider information from Neos circles, such as Exxpress.at. The implementation takes place not only in the course of the gymnastics lessons, but also through cooperation with sports clubs, communities and external movement coaches.

The goal of Sport Austria is to introduce these movement units in compulsory schools and kindergartens across the board by 2035. However, challenges remain: Infrastructure, lack of staff and lack of sports facilities represent significant hurdles. In addition, the financial security of the movement unit will be emphasized by 2027, despite the budget reservations that the government must overcome.

The need for promotion of movement

The lack of exercise in children and adolescents was recognized as a serious problem before the Covid 19 pandemic. A WHO study from 2020 is open that the majority of children and adolescents in 146 countries do not meet the guidelines on physical activity. In addition, a German motor module study (Momo) shows that around 75 percent of children and adolescents in Germany do not achieve the 60 minutes of moderate activity per day, which underlines the urgency of prevention measures. Journal of Sport Medicine points out that unorganized movement activities have decreased in recent years, while organized sports activities have increased in schools.

The consequences of lack of exercise are diverse and affect the physical and psychological well -being of the children. Doctors have been calling for specific prevention plans for promoting movement in schools for years. Various effective measures to promote physical activity are identified, such as the provision of equipment for movement games and the creation of large break rooms.

The importance of regular movement units in specialist lessons is now well documented and it can be seen that adapting the curriculum with additional sports lessons can be an effective method to combat the lack of movement. The combination of different measures can be particularly successful here and it is essential to pursue these strategies in the coming years in order to strengthen the well -being of the young generation.