The Actívídate program, driven by the Sports and Health departments of the Government of the Canary Islands, connects the health and sports sectors to integrate physical exercise into the prevention and improvement of public health. Users are referred from Primary Care to Active Physical Exercise Units (UAEF), where professionals design individualized programs.
The unit in Agüimes, Gran Canaria, is one of the latest to join the network. The Vice-Minister of Physical Activity and Sports, Ángel Sabroso, visited the facilities this Tuesday with the mayor of the municipality, Óscar Hernández, to learn firsthand about the service's operation and the work with its first users.
Ángel Sabroso celebrated the user figures, stating that "Actívídate continues to grow, and above all, more and more people are incorporating physical exercise into their lives in a guided and needs-adapted way." He noted the objective to continue progressively expanding the network and emphasized the importance of "coordination between the health and sports sectors, as well as the involvement of island councils and municipalities" for the project's success.
For his part, Óscar Hernández highlighted that Actívídate "makes visible a fundamental resource for the quality of life" and valued the "collaboration between different administrations." The mayor of Agüimes added that the program allows individuals referred from health centers to "age with the greatest possible independence and autonomy," considering it "fundamental for the well-being of the citizens."
The program began its operational phase with seven units in September of last year and currently has ten service points distributed across all islands. In Tenerife, there are three units (Añaza, 224 users; Ofra-Las Delicias, 27; La Laguna-San Benito, nine), two in Gran Canaria (Teror, 170; Agüimes, four), and one each in Lanzarote (Tinajo, 160), El Hierro (Frontera, 90), La Palma (Villa de Mazo, 74), Fuerteventura (Gran Tarajal, 66), and La Gomera (San Sebastián, 41).
Actívídate is a public, universal, and free service that aims to consolidate physical exercise as a tool for health prevention and promotion through a coordinated model between the health and sports sectors and various public administrations.
