This snapshot presents strengths and weaknesses of national physical activity policy actions in the Netherlands. Compare the Netherlands with other European countries in our MOVING policy index.
> Read the MOVING snapshot for the Netherlands in English or Dutch
The Netherlands implements policy actions in all 6 areas of the MOVING framework. The highest assessment received was good in physical activity opportunities in the workplace and training (O).
Weaknesses were identified in all existing policies that promote physical activity in schools, community and recreation (M), where moderate policy design was achieved, in addition to active design guidelines outside of buildings (V) and physical activity guidelines (N). Gaps are seen in a lack of active design guidelines for open/green spaces (V) and policies which promote public transport alongside road safety actions (I).
National government actions are needed to improve policies on transport infrastructure to promote active societies (I) and training within healthcare and outpatient settings on physical activity (G), were a poor assessment was achieved. Attention should also be given to design guidelines alongside walking and cycling infrastructure (V) and increasing physical activity through public communication which builds behaviour change skills (N), where only fair policy design was achieved.
Download a full analysis and breakdown of the Netherlands’s results (pdf, English)
This country snapshot presents detailed results of the MOVING policy index for the Netherlands. Full index results are outlined in the MOVING policy brief (pdf), which compares the Netherlands with other European countries and explains the methods for producing this snapshot and the index.
The index assesses if national government policy actions exist across all areas of the MOVING framework and, if so, how well designed they are. We produced this assessment by benchmarking policies from the Netherlands, collected through a comprehensive scan. You can view all benchmarked policies in our MOVING database.
We also have snapshots of nutrition policies in 30 European countries. Visit the Netherlands page or see all the country snapshots.
The policy landscape in any country evolves over time. These findings reflect our knowledge as of May 2023. To provide feedback or suggest updates, please get in touch.
Fill in our feedback form or email the team policy@wcrf.org
