Legal Guarantees of Physical Activity as Determinants of the Human Right to Health: The Ukrainian Experience in the European Integration Context

Abstract

ABSTRACT The fact that physical activity (PA) is considered an important tool for promoting human health and a determinant of the right to health has contributed to the promotion of a separate human right to PA at the global level. This article compares the government policies and legal mechanisms for ensuring the right of citizens to health through PA in various EU member states and Ukraine. It has been established that in the absence of a single standard or conditions for implementing this right, the experiences of different European states are different in significant ways. According to our findings, the obstacles to ensuring the right of citizens to PA in Ukraine are due to (1) an inconsistent national development strategy, and adoption of unsystematic regulations without effective mechanisms for their practical implementation; (2) a lack of effective sectoral programs on PA for different social groups; (3) a low level of interest of the majority of citizens in PA as a means of promoting human health. The problem of realizing the rights of Ukrainian citizens has become much more acute due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, starting in February 2022.