Health promotion meets sustainable movement-based education in school—a “walking school” initiative in Sweden

Abstract

The World Health Organization states that physical activity has the potential to influence physical, mental, and social dimensions of health in a powerful way. However, in modern society, physical activity is increasingly becoming an active choice, rather than a part of everyday life. Schools have been identified as key settings for health promotion, but physical activity initiatives in schools have rarely had a sustained impact. Interventions have been criticized for seeking to increase levels of physical activity by focusing on individual behaviors rather than considering the contexts and social structures in which individuals live their lives. With a theoretical foundation in settings-based health promotion, this article proposes an alternative initiative for sustainable movement-based education called Walking School. Walking School defines sustainable movement as the movement that is an integral part of the school day and school culture. Walking School, or outdoor teaching while walking, has the potential to (i) be inclusive of both teachers and students, (ii) extend the classroom and make physical activity a collective responsibility of all teachers, not just physical education teachers, (iii) reduce sedentary time and increase physical activity without losing instructional time, (iv) stimulate physical activity and create conditions conducive to the development of new habits by using the outdoor environment as a teaching space, and (5) become part of the school’s core business of education, and ultimately a part of the school culture.