Active Vallecas – Spain
Summary
Active Vallecas is a community and interdisciplinary intervention project, with the joint participation of all the professional categories of the primary healthcare sector with professionals of Sports Science, Education and Social Services. Vallecas Activa takes place in Entrevías (one of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Madrid), situated in the district Puente de Vallecas. This programme currently integrates five projects, each in different levels of development:
- Health pilot project: the general objective is to promote an active lifestyle in the population of the surroundings of the Municipal Sports Centre, in collaboration with Madrid’s Municipal Health Centres and Primary Healthcare Centres and hospitals of Madrid’s Regional Health Service. Health professionals prescribe a programme for lifestyle change to people with diagnosed risk factors plus a health education programme, run and coordinated by health professionals of the participating health centres.
- Education pilot project: the general objective is to identify children in school age with health risks related to their physical condition. WHO: teachers identify children that may be developing obesity with a simple test (BMI calculation). Tests are conducted in Physical Education classes of the schools of the surroundings of the Entrevías Sports Centre. When the test is positive, parents are encouraged to visit the paediatrician and/or a social services. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the child can be offered one of the lifestyle change programmes of the Entrevías Sports Centre
- Social Inclusion pilot project: the general objective is to ease the access to sport practice for people in vulnerable situations recognized by Social Services Centres of the district Puente de Vallecas, and who cannot access to sport activities because of different reasons (economic, social, cultural, etc.). Eligible groups are given access to regular sport activities of the Entrevías Sports Centre to people in vulnerable situations. To subscribe to this initiative is mandatory in order to fulfil the social inclusion criteria and to have the “social prescription” issued by the Social Services Centre. The Entrevías Sports Centre will reserve at least 2 places per activity group for this initiative, with reduced prices. Sports professionals will send a three-month report to the social worker, with the social evolution of the user. To disseminate the project, 3 health education workshops have been carried out for all people receiving the Integration Minimum Income.
- Employment and training pilot project: the general objective is to give a training and employment option in Sports (e.g. as referees and sport monitors) to people in unemployment and vulnerable situations, recognized by Social Services. Madrid’s Basketball Federation commits to give a certain number of scholarships without cost to people recognized in vulnerable situations by social services that fulfil the established access criteria and find in Sports a solution for their unemployment. Those people who pass the course are offered to collaborate as referees or monitors as a paid job within the programmes of Madrid’s City Council and the Basketball Federation.
- Professional motivation pilot project: the general objective is to improve the coordination between professionals, to raise their motivation and to improve their health. Health professionals, social workers, assistants, sport professionals and any other person involved in the development of Vallecas Activa programme, jointly conduct a sport activity, supervised and continuous, 2 days per week.
Additional information: http://www.msssi.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/prevPromocion/Estrategia/docs/Presentacion_OscarSanchez.pdf
(last accessed in March 2017)
Life Cycle Stages: Whole life cycle | Work Life |
Main Settings: community | healthcare services | sports clubs |
Specific Topics: physical activity | social inclusion |