Fit-Balkans

Co-funded by the European Union

01-08-2022 to 31-07-2025 

• Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), Germany
• National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece
• Urban Research and Education UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Germany
• Courage Foundation (Kurazh), Bulgaria
• Asociatia Sportiva Corporate Games (CG), Romania
• Club for Youth Empowerment 018 (KOM 018), Serbia
• Goce Delcev University (GDU), North Macedonia 

The young women of Balkans have traditionally less physical activity compared to the women of Western Europe and their employment rates are less, so this leads to lower levels of physical activity. The overall aim of the project is to seek ways of improving the subjective wellbeing of young women aged 18 to 30 in Balkans (five case cities: Athens, Greece; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Bucharest, Romania; Nis, Serbia, and Shtip, North Macedonia) by means of interventions in their physical activity. The target group of the project includes the young women of the ages between 18 and 30 years, who live in one of the states of Balkans. The project attempts to fulfill the following objectives: (1) providing first-hand research results to be used as a basis for interventions in partner countries towards using physical activity for improving the subjective wellbeing of the target group, (2) informing the target group about the benefits of having an active lifestyle, and (3) providing accessible sources related to intervention methods for the policymakers. A combination of research and awareness-raising activities has been formulated. The research part includes two surveys focusing the personal and socioeconomics as well as physical activity and wellbeing of the participants before and after 6 months of activation in form of increased walking and or biking activity in daily life and reducing screen and sedentary time per day of 1000 participants including 400 participants (the rest are passive). The investigation is continued by creating a validated dataset and statistical analysis, leading to scientific publications and policy reports. In each Balkan partner country, 100 participants take part in two awareness-raising events organized by local partners. Moreover, two MOOCs will be designed in about the two sub-topics of “active mobility and wellbeing” and “active lifestyle for women” and a multiplier event in the form of a workshop will be held. Finally, the project team will reflect the outputs of the project in non-technical language for the policymakers of the region. The minimum number of audiences including participants as well as information recipients will be 1875.