| Summary: |
In the beginning of the 21st century, the epidemic of overweight and obesity raises as a major public health problem, sparking interest among scientific and academic communities. Nowadays, there is a progressive shift of lifestyles towards more sedentary patterns and lower Physical Activity (PA) levels which contribute to high obesity prevalence as well as other related diseases. Simultaneously, despite the general improvement on health indicators, inequities in health have also increased pointing out complex issues of justice and equity in modern societies. Recent lines of research have produced strong evidence on the benefit effect of Green Spaces (GS) in the living environment both on people's PA and on the overall health equity. Consequently, GS has been seen as a new healthy promoting resource. Urban settings and urban dwellers are particularly vulnerable due to the increasing urbanization and consequent GS reduction (amount and accessibility). This project aim is to increase the knowledge on urban GS benefits, highlighting pathways to increase PA and overall health by decreasing health inequities. Our specific research goals are related with the identification of which GS features are more PA friendly regarding different neighbourhood environments and different individuals. We will collect different types of information (objective/subjective), at different levels (individual and environmental), using different tools (auditory guide, questionnaires, GPS) and intend to apply different analytical approaches. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and multivariate statistical models will allow the analysis of the collected data and the achievement of valid results. GS should be targeted to people and to places and we must improve the knowledge about its function in the "urban organism". As a final result, we expect to draw some guidelines to plan and design GS in a healthier and more equitable way. |