Russian Youth Physical Activity and Public Policy

The lack of physical activity is a vital problem of the countries around the globe, including Russia. The share of Russians failing to meet the physical activity guidelines is still high and exceeds the one of the developed countries. Based on the data from population surveys by Yuri Levada Analytical Center requested by HSE in 2011 and 2017, the article focuses on the tendencies and peculiarities of physical activity of the Russian young males and females from 16 to 24 years of age at the current stage. Empirical analysis has revealed the correlation between physical activity of respondents of both genders and such indicators as the subjective estimation of self-rated health, smoking, employment status, household income. At the same time, the analysis has not yielded the direct correlation between physical activity of the young Russians and their level of education, individual income and marital status. The governments of many countries have chosen a path of implementing the programs of lifestyle activation for the youth. The article contains the analysis of the globally spread measures of public policy aimed at stimulating the youth to engage in physical activity and sports. The article also stresses the most effective of those measures including national programs, informational guidelines, social advertisements, support through grants, development of sports infrastructure, and urban environment. The findings have facilitated proposing a range of recommendations for the public policy of the Russian Federation targeting lifestyle activation of the youth.