Making active mobility a daily habit is one of the fundamental pillars of prevention. On the occasion of the European Mobility Week (16–22 September), focused on the theme “Mobility for Everyone”, experts from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità – ISS, shine a light once again on the importance of active mobility, starting with everyday trips. According to the data from the PASSI surveillance for the 2023-2024 biennium, in our country 39% of adults regularly choose to travel on foot, while the 10% use a bicycle for their daily routines.
However, these healthy habits, more pronounced among young people, are slowly declining over time, with a sharper drop among adults. Currently, the share of the population able to meet the physical activity levels recommended by the World Health Organization – WHO, thanks to active mobility alone, stands at around 19%.
The data also reveal a clear geographic gap: the use of active transport is much more widespread in the North than in the Center-South, with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano on the podium, about 1 in 4 people regularly riding a bike and almost 6 in 10 moving on foot.
The Saboteurs Campaign: Recognizing Environmental Hazards
Although the importance of active lifestyles is now widely recognized, the environments in which we live deeply influence our daily habits. To make this dynamic evident, the European Joint Action JA PreventNCD (an EU-funded project for the prevention of non-communicable diseases) has launched the communication campaign “The Saboteurs”.
The centerpiece of the initiative is a three-minute animated video that shows how the surrounding environment can silently “sabotage” our good intentions. From urban design biased toward motor vehicles to the constant availability of alcohol, tobacco, and ultra-processed foods, the campaign uses humor to show how challenging it is to make healthy choices in unfavorable contexts.
Small Everyday Actions for Community Well-Being
The project focuses on four core pillars of cardiovascular and oncological health: physical activity, nutrition, and the avoidance of tobacco and alcohol. The goal is not to radically transform routines overnight, but to adopt gradual small changes that can consolidate into healthy habits over time.
As highlighted by Linda Granlund, coordinator of the JA PreventNCD project, the real challenge for public health and policymakers is to shape environments and communities that make the healthier option easy and accessible. Choosing to walk or bike a stretch represents the first individual step toward integrated and lasting prevention.
Subscribe to Integrated Medicine
