UC researchers organise walk in Choupal to promote physical activity in green spaces

The activity Entre Verdes e Azuis: Caminhada Conversada no Choupal (Between Green and Blue: A Walk and Talk in Choupal) will take place on Saturday, 17 May, at 4 pm, and the entire Coimbra community is invited to take part. The walk will begin at the south entrance of Choupal (near the Açude Bridge) and is expected to last approximately 90 minutes.

Researchers from various scientific fields, health professionals—including family doctors—and community members will follow a route that combines physical activity, health education, and contact with nature. Throughout the walk, participants can either stay with the group or choose to explore on their own using the story map created for this purpose, available on their smartphone here.

“This activity aims to raise awareness about the role of urban green and blue spaces, for example, in adopting healthy habits to combat obesity, but above all, about the importance of biodiversity as an environmental factor in health,” explains Anabela Marisa Azul, a researcher at the Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CiBB) and the UC Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC-UC).

Ricardo Almendra, a lecturer at the UC Faculty of Arts and Humanities and a researcher at the UC Centre for Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), emphasises that "urban green and blue spaces are key elements of city landscapes and play a crucial role in promoting the well-being and health of urban populations". In this context, "this activity will help document citizens' perceptions of different elements of urban green spaces, thus contributing to more sustainable planning and management of urban green and blue spaces, focusing on creating healthier and more equitable cities," he adds.

The initiative is promoted in the scope of ongoing research projects at the UC: PAS GRAS: De-risking metabolic, environmental and behavioural determinants of obesity in children, adolescents and young adults; BLINC: Better living green and blue spaces for healthier, more equitable cities; Mushrooms 'from farm to fork': from the treatment of metabolic diseases to a sustainable healthy diet based on the valorisation of agroforestry resources; and EC2U - European Campus of City-Universities (in the framework of the Working Group on Health and Well-being for All). The Municipality of Coimbra and the Social Services of the University of Coimbra (SASUC) also collaborate in the event.

Registration is available here.