"HEPA Macedonia" was established on 11.10.2005 with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle, and to develop health-enhancing physical activity research activities, strategy and programme, nutrition education, social inclusion, and multiculturalism through sports and physical activity. The vision is to achieve better health through increased physical activity, education for nutritious food, balanced
nutrition, and other healthier lifestyle among all people in the Republic of North Macedonia. The goals are:
- To strengthen and support efforts and actions that increase participation and improve the conditions favourable to a healthy lifestyle, in particular with respect to health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA), nutrition, and dietetics;
- Nutrition education, and application of the nutrition care model;
- To promote the education of a population through volunteering in sports;
- To promote peace, multicultural dialogue, social inclusion, and gender equality through sport;
- To develop a monitoring and surveillance system for physical activity levels and sport, and healthy eating at the national level creating the physical activity country card (Global Observatory for Physical Activity);
- Research in the area of public health: physical activity, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes and promotion of balanced nutrition;
- Effects of programmed physical activity and nutrition on children, youth, adults and older populations;
- Efficacy of physical activity on reduction of diet-related risk factors for chronic diseases (NCDs). Scope of work:
To promote health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA), youth development and active ageing through a healthy lifestyle including balanced nutrition, and using a population-based and individual approach. Priorities:
The promotion of physical activity and sport for health, sports medicine, food science, nutrition and dietetics, reduction of diet-related chronic diseases, monitoring and evaluation of physical activity levels (PALs), implementation and health outcomes on population and individual levels, to support the formulation of national HEPA strategy and program in accordance with the WHO HEPA recommendations. HEPA Macedonia is focused on health education for lifestyle risk factors, teaching/advocacy, and Continuing Medical Education (CME). "The sport as a tool for education, for development, and peace-promoting cooperation, solidarity, tolerance, intercultural understanding, social inclusion and health at the local, national and international levels" are our goals within public health nutrition. To promote health through physical activity using a population-based approach;
2. To support the formulation of a National/regional strategy, programme, and Action plan for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity ”HEPA Programme/Strategy”:
- the main objective is to reduce major chronic disease morbidity/mortality;
- the intermediate objectives are to reduce the population levels of biological risk factors for chronic disease by introducing changes in the lifestyle: increased PA, balanced nutrition, and smoking cessation;
3. To formulate organizational structure and establishment a national network;
4. To strengthen cooperation, partnership, and collaboration with other relevant programmes, sectors, academic institutions (HEIs) and civil society in the promotion of HEPA;
5. In addition, providing the background for the development of an overview of the relevant HEPA Action Plan for implementation of the HEPA programme in the Republic of North Macedonia;
6. To prepare an annual work programme for the main planned activities and events;
7. To establish specific outcomes, monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables for the WHO HEPA Europe. Research:
- Effects of applied programmed PA on children, youth, adult and older adult population;
- Efficacy of PA on reduction of diet-related risk factors for chronic diseases;
- Researches in the area of public health: health promotion through PA and healthier nutrition, and monitoring and evaluation of outcomes. Health promotion in general:
- Healthy lifestyle and skills for health;
- Promotion of physical/sports activity on population and individual levels and the national, regional, and local levels in the Republic of North Macedonia. Teaching/advocacy, from 2006 up today;
-Continuing doctoral education (CME) accredited by the Faculty of Medicine, Macedonian Medical Association, and Doctor Chamber of Macedonia. Participants: 1500 physicians from different branches of medicine:
-Training seminars, workshops, and courses;
-Mass media campaigns: Move for Health, Quit & Win, World Heart Days; WoW Europe;
-Policy and strategy documents – Initiation for PA Strategy/Programme in the country:
-Statute for the transformation of Sports Medicine Institutions countrywide;
-Strategy for Sport-decentralization of sport in the Republic of North Macedonia;
-Legislation (Low for Sport);
-Recommendations and guidelines;
-Contributions to the Health System reforms as a member of the Committee for Advancement of Health System at the Ministry of Health. Activities on a national and European level, 2005-2022:
2005 - Establishing the HEPA MACEDONIA National Organization for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity;
2006 – up today: Member of the ”WHO/HEPA Europe”, Working group HEPA Promotion in Health Care Setting;
2006 - up today: “Move for Health” world network;
2006 – Coordination of the WHO/“Quit & Win” Program for smoking cessation with title: “Tobacco-Free Sport and Physical Activity” - http://www.nosmoking.cjb.net (http://www.quitandwin.org);
2006 – Member of the European network and research project for “Action on Ageing and Physical Activity”-EC Public Health/EUNAAPA, https://www.eunaapa.org;
2006 – Contribution to the Public Consultation: The REPORT for Draft-European Health Strategy (http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_overview/strategy/docs/consultation_frep_en.pdf);
2009-2011: Member of the “Committee for the Advancement of Health System reforms” of Macedonia, FYR;
2010 – Member of the “Global Dialogue”
