More green space, more opportunities to exercise, exercise, and meet other people: This way the municipality can still do a lot to improve “positive health,” according to residents.
Health is much more than just not being sick, it is the core of the concept of positive health that has now been on the rise for about ten years and has also been adopted by the HLT community. In addition to physical, it also includes mental and social functioning and (well-being). But the concept remains barely known to many residents, as is the possibility of gaining more insight into your “positive health” by completing a comprehensive online questionnaire, according to a survey by the Teylingen team.
But two out of ten participants have heard of the concept and only half of them have taken the test. This is also because hardly anyone knows where and how you can take this test (www.mijnpositievegezondheid.nl). Residents who populate it are often asked who can discuss the results in order to take steps towards a healthier life.
For residents, feeling better physically comes first in a step towards positive health. More sports and leisure venues such as a boot camp site and more green space in the neighborhood were cited by half as being truly essential to a healthy life. “Think residential sports fields and better bike parking spots in the middle to attract more people to their bikes,” one suggestion. Promoting skateboarding on Kagerplassen is also cited as a possibility. Just under half of the participants mentioned a place to meet others.
Sports clubs may be able to organize other activities in the summer months when the competition is still suspended, and the current initiatives should be better known. “There is really a lot in this area, but people don’t always know where to find it,” one committee member believes. It can also improve the immediate living environment. One participant summarizes “More environment, fewer planes, stores offering better products and information about the latest state of nutrition and health”.
