A new project investigates whether mentally vulnerable citizens benefit from prescription exercise instead of prescription medication
East Jutland: A new EU project, running from March 1 this year for three years, aims to create more and better health for citizens by offering them exercise as an alternative or complement to traditional medical treatment.
The project is being carried out in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania, Lithuania and Germany. In Denmark, the project is carried out in the Randersklyngen cluster consisting of Randers Regional Hospital and Randers, Favrskov, Norddjurs and Syddjurs Municipalities and general practitioners.
Anxiety, stress and depression
The concept of "Exercise on prescription" is known in Denmark, but there is no documented experience with the concept applied to mentally vulnerable citizens, who may, for example, be citizens with anxiety, stress and depression. The Randersklyngen, in collaboration with local associations, will change this by contributing to the EU project with a study of this particular target group.
- One of the ways to improve psychiatry is close cooperation between the region, municipalities and general practitioners, and expanding our treatment options beyond medication. In this project, we are doing both, so I look forward to following it over the next few years and am excited to see the effects," says Jacob Klærke (SF), chair of the Psychiatry and Social Committee in the Central Denmark Region.
Global Action Plan
- We are proud to participate in the EU project with our partners in the municipalities. We have invited DGI Østjylland into the collaboration, and we will involve municipal sports associations and volunteer corps in the project, so that we get the local community involved in a close and coherent effort for the patients, says Marianne Jensen, Director of Nursing, Randers Regional Hospital. When the project is completed, the results will be included in an international report that brings together knowledge and experience from the participating countries in the project. The new knowledge will contribute to the WHO's global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and to the WHO's global monitoring of non-communicable diseases.
