EC2U Guidelines for local authorities on health promotion were presented at the University of Coimbra

  • EC2U Guidelines for local authorities on health promotion were presented at the University of Coimbra
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This study, conducted under the scope of the EC2U Virtual Institute for Good Health and Well-Being, shows that ageing is the main challenge for healthy cities. The guidelines were presented at the University of Coimbra on the 7th of September, with the participation of representatives of several Portuguese municipalities.

Ageing, mobility, healthcare sustainability and housing are currently the four major challenges of urban health. These are the findings of the study “Guidelines for local authorities on health promotion”, presented at the University of Coimbra on the 7th of September by Ângela Freitas, a researcher at the UC Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), and coordinated by Professor Paula Santana, who is also a researcher at CEGOT.

The study was carried out in the scope of the Virtual Institute for Health and Well-being of the European Alliance of Campus Universities (EC2U). It involved a stakeholder survey of 82 people linked to health promotion and governance in Coimbra, Salamanca, Poitiers, Pavia, Jena, Iasi and Turku.

According to Paula Santana, local governments will only be able to have healthy cities with “inter-institutional, interdisciplinary and multidimensional co-operation”, combined with assessment and monitoring. Santana adds that “places, cities and municipalities have to meet the real needs of their residents” and issues the challenge: “adapt the place to people, not people to the place”.

In regards specifically to Coimbra, the UC Rector, Amílcar Falcão, stated that the UC carries out “very strong health research, which impacts how the university contributes to a healthier city”. Nonetheless, he is aware that this path cannot be taken alone, and that it is “a joint effort involving the university, the city and, above all, the municipality”.

This view is also shared by the Mayor of Coimbra, José Manuel Silva, who believes that “we all have the commitment to work together towards improving healthcare quality in our municipality”.

At the end of the event the UC Vice-Rector for External Relations and Alumni, João Nuno Calvão da Silva, said that “this work involves the entire university community” and is a “good example of participatory democracy”.

The presentation of the study brought together around 60 participants, including several representatives of municipalities from all parts of the country.

More information about the guidelines is available here: https://ec2u.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/709/2022/07/D4.24-GLADE-Guidelines-for-local-authorities.pdf.