Sedentary lifestyle has become a growing threat to public health in contemporary urban societies. With the proliferation of traffic and the lack of green spaces, city inhabitants are often trapped in a lifestyle marked by inactivity. This reality can lead to a growing and alarming increase in health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Now, Dr. Paula Jakszyn, from the IDIBELL Nutrition and Cancer Research Group and the Nutrition and Cancer Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, will lead +ACTIU, a multidisciplinary study aimed at addressing this problem. The project has the participation of Dr. Jordi Vilaró, researcher at the Ramon Llull University, and Dr. Marta Rofin, architect and urban planner at Healthy Cities, and has been selected to receive a boost of nearly 150,000 euros from the ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Barcelona City Council.

The objective of the +ACTIU project is to analyze, adapt and design a new city model with healthier and more active urban environments to promote the practice of physical activity and thus combat sedentary lifestyle. Through a co-creation model, a team of health professionals, urban planners and citizens in general (especially those with chronic pathologies) will plan an urban environment that responds to these needs.

The award ceremony took place this morning in the Chronicles Room of Barcelona City Council and was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism, Jordi Valls, and the director of the Department of Relations with Research and Health Institutions of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Ignasi López.

14 projects with 34 entities involved

This call for scientific research projects is the result of a collaboration agreement between the ”la Caixa” Foundation and Barcelona City Council. The projects that will receive this grant are those with the best score among the 51 projects presented. They focus on one of the two themes proposed by the call: Community health or Sustainability and climate change.

In total, 2 million euros have been awarded, divided into 14 projects, which involve a total of 34 entities, in response to one of the objectives of the call, which was to seek synergies between different research centers and teams.