Sedentary lifestyle has become a growing threat to public health in contemporary urban settings. With the proliferation of traffic and a lack of green spaces, city dwellers often find themselves trapped in a lifestyle marked by inactivity. This reality can lead to a significant and alarming increase in health problems, such as obesity, heart diseases, and cancer.
A multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Paula Jakszyn from the Nutrition and Cancer Research Group at IDIBELL and the Nutrition and Cancer Unit at the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Dr. Jordi Vilaró, a researcher at Ramon Llull University, and Marta Rofin, architect and urban planner from Healthy Cities will be working over the next 18 months to address this issue, in the +ACTIU project. The project has been selected to receive a boost of nearly 150,000 euros from Fundació “la Caixa” and the Barcelona City Council.
The objective of the +ACTIU project is to analyze, adapt, and design a new model of a city with healthier and more active urban environments to promote physical activity and combat sedentary behaviour. Through a co-creation model, a team of health professionals, urban planners, and the general public (especially those with chronic conditions) will plan an urban environment that meets these needs.
The grant award ceremony took place this morning at the Saló de Cròniques in Barcelona City Hall. It was attended by the Deputy Mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion, and Tourism, Jordi Valls, and the Director of the Area of Relations with Research and Health Institutions of the Fundació “la Caixa”, Ignasi López.
This call granted funding to 14 scientific research projects and is the result of a collaboration agreement between the Fundació “la Caixa” and the Barcelona City Council. The projects receiving these grants were among the highest-rated among the 51 projects submitted. They focus on one of the two themes proposed for this call: Community Health or Sustainability and Climate Change.
In total, 2 million euros have been awarded, divided among 14 projects, which involve a total of 34 entities, aligning with one of the goals of the call, which was to foster synergies between different research centres and teams.
