My Healthy Hood

“Improving neighborhoods to promote physical activity and urban security: a participatory citizen project in Bilbao”

Unhealthy lifestyle habits are closely related to cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Previous studies have already demonstrated the importance of city factors and neighborhood characteristics on residents’ health and physical activity practice. Additionally, these results are consistent when comparing different contexts.

The aim of this project is to analyze urban environment factors related to physical activity, safety and citizen health in neighborhoods of different socioeconomic levels in Bilbao. Therefore, Photovoice Participatory-Action Research methodology will be used to carry out a community diagnosis.

Results of this study will be analyzed and shared during 2022. Based on the conclusions drawn by the citizens themselves, proposals to improve the urban environment will be developed.

DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE? Write to us at info@mibarriosaludable.com. We will inform you about the project and you will be entered in a drawing for several prizes.

Gracias a:

Objective: to analyze how environmental factors influence the lifestyle habits of the community and their care for improving their health state.

Lines of research: urban health, nutrition, physical activity.

Urban research is the key for finding solutions to problems that we find in various neighborhoods that finally affect the health of its residents.

Multiple studies have shown that the place where we live and work determines our lifestyle habits and, consequently, the level of obesity of the population. Socioeconomic differences found between neighborhoods might determine the level of health of the population, so developing research studies about the characteristics of neighborhoods and their residents seems essential to make not only a community diagnosis, but also to seek answers and propose solutions that improve the situation of the most vulnerable population.

From the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the Nursing and Health Promotion Research Group has launched the initiative “Healthy neighborhoods” with the aim of encouraging / promoting the citizen participation in the knowledge of weaknesses and strengths of their community and, thus, to be able to carry out practical solutions that allow to improve the quality of life of individuals, families and communities.

“Influence of the food environment on the health of residents of different neighborhoods of Bilbao: a citizen action-participatory study”

This research took place in 2017 and its objective was to analyze how people live and eat in different regions of Bilbao. Previous studies have shown that the place of residence, work and socioeconomic status influences eating, and therefore the obesity levels in the population.

A qualitative action-participatory research methodology was used, and residents from neighborhoods in Bilbao with different socioeconomic context (high, medium and low) participated. In this way, the citizens themselves were co-researchers in order to analyze the reality around them and were able to relate it to their health.

The type of methodology used in this study is highly innovative in the area of Public Health and was the second carried out in Spain, following the previous one in Madrid which analyzed the food environment of the poorest neighborhoods in Villaverde. It had a great social and media impact.