Allenarsi per la salute into the wild
Basic information
Project Title
Allenarsi per la salute into the wild
Full project title
Allenarsi per la salute into the wild
Category
Reconnecting with nature
Project Description
The project promoted human psychophysical health through the contact with nature and through the promotion of local, healthy and organic food. The aim was pursued through a multilevel intervention, not only directed to healthy people and those with diseases, but also to university students. The content of the intervention includes both the dissemination of scientific information, and guided personal involvement which encourages experiencing firsthand the psychophysical effects of nature.
Geographical Scope
Regional
Project Region
Abruzzo, Italy
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The project promoted human psychophysical health through the contact with nature and through the promotion of local, healthy and organic food. It was directed to breast cancer survivors, their caregivers, healthy people and university students of preventive and adapted physical activities. Specific objectives for breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people have been to promote: a) theoretical knowledge and practical experience about the effects of physical exercise in wild nature through periodical seminars and supervised workouts, across the seasons and landscapes of the Abruzzo region; b) the repetition of the experience by own to create a new healthy behavior; c) the knowledge of healthy and organic food of each landscape of the Abruzzo region. The achieved outcomes in these groups have been: a) the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, nature and physical exercise”, for a total of 1000 reservations; b) objectification of the psychophysical effects of physical exercise in a natural environment through specific tests; c) creation of a “natural behavior” in several participants; d) the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, organic food and landscape of the Abruzzo region”, for a total of 1000 reservations. Specific objectives for university students have been to promote: a) theoretical knowledge and practical experience about the effects of physical exercise in wild nature through specific teachings and internships; b) theoretical knowledge and practical experience about paths mapping and outdoor group conduction; c) the training of professionals capable of disseminating the project. The achievement of these outcomes has been granted by the university evaluations.
Key objectives for sustainability
All the objectives of the project, being described in the previous point together with the methods we used to meet them, are linked with the term of sustainability, i.e. with the quality of being able to continue the project over a period of time. Indeed, the objectives for breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people have been met through the use of specific funds being furnished each year by the local health authority and by my university to support the program. In addition, the project has as key objective the creation of awareness of the importance of nature, of physical exercise practiced in it and of nutrition based on local and organic foods for our psychophysical health and, consequently, for society itself. This means that knowledge, based on theoretical concept and personal experience, should move persons to behavioral change and on personal replication of the furnished experiences in their living places. The objectives for university students have been met through the use of university funds dedicated to internship and professionalization. These funds are mandatory and disbursed on an annual basis. Even among the students we pursued the objective of creating knowledge based on theoretical concepts and personal experience by adding the creation of professional skills through the internship carried out with breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people. The project is exemplary in term of sustainability as it used annual fixed funds to create knowledge based on theoretical concept and personal experience not only in the population but also in those future professionals who will be able to amplify what we have done and spread it further. This means that the project creates a virtuous circle based not only on people, who will be able to apply what they have learned and experienced on their own, but also on professionals who will be able to apply what they have learned in an intensive and territorial manner.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
“To live the natural environment (i.e. to train in wild nature across the seasons and the landscapes of the Abruzzo region, but also to know and taste local and seasonal food)” was the common point of the objectives of our project in breast cancer survivors, caregivers, healthy people and university students. Therefore, we used the beauty of the landscapes, and the particularity of the flavors, to create awareness of the psychophysical importance of living the natural environment through an active lifestyle and nutritional territoriality. Our project used several channels of perception and communications, and each channel was not only based on theoretical motivation but also on personal experiences being able to touch the hedonic circuit also furnishing an unconscious motivation to pursue the objectives of the project. In our opinion, all that also explain how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Key objectives for inclusion
The key objectives, in terms of inclusion, have been: a) the supervised involvement of breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people; b) the spontaneous continuation of breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people; c) the involvement of university students. They have been met through a) the organization of theoretical (i.e. public seminars) and practical events (i.e. workouts across the seasons and landscapes of the Abruzzo region, show cooking) in including simultaneous participation of breast cancer survivors, caregivers, healthy people and university students; b) the communication during theoretical and practical events of the presence of a dedicated website containing online resources linked with the events; c) the creation of a newsletter highlighting the contents of theoretical and practical events. The newsletter has been sent, with a monthly cadence, to associations, breast cancer patients of the local health authority of Lanciano-Vasto-Chieti and university students; d) through the description, mapping and characterization of routes in a natural environment useful for health and through the creation of dedicated web pages that allow knowledge of the routes and their exploration thanks to the support of a dedicated app.
The project can be exemplary through its theoretical, practical and multilevel approach amplifying messages transmission and increasing the probability of behavioral change.
The project can be exemplary through its theoretical, practical and multilevel approach amplifying messages transmission and increasing the probability of behavioral change.
Results in relation to category
The achieved outcomes in breast cancer survivors, caregivers and healthy people have been: a) the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, nature and physical exercise”, for a total of 1000 reservations; b) objectification of the psychophysical effects of physical exercise in a natural environment through specific tests; c) creation of a “natural behavior” in several participants; d) the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, organic food and landscape of the Abruzzo region”, for a total of 1000 reservations. The a) and d) achieved outcomes have been published in local newspaper, social media and dedicated website, while the b) outcome has been published in scientific journal, social media, and dedicated website. The achieved outcomes for university students have been: a) theoretical knowledge and practical experience about the effects of physical exercise in wild nature through specific teachings and internships, for a total of 50 students; b) theoretical knowledge and practical experience about paths mapping and outdoor group conduction, for a total of 50 students; c) the training of professionals capable of disseminating the project, for a total of 35 professionals.
How Citizens benefit
As previously described, our project reached the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, nature and physical exercise”, for a total of 1000 reservations; and the assignment of all available reservations for all theoretical and practical events, carried out in presence and concerning the topic “health, organic food and landscape of the Abruzzo region”, for a total of 1000 reservations. In addition, our newsletter regularly reached 1000 persons and 4 different associations/societies (i.e. ISA and GAIA associations, including breast cancer survivors and caregivers; FIDAS, association of blood donors; IL BOSSO soc. Coop.) forwarding the newsletter to their members, this means that they reached more than 5000 persons.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
The innovative character of the project was the multidisciplinary approach allowing the creation of knowledge, based on theory and personal experiences, both in common people and in future professionals, through several and different stimulations. Indeed, personal experiences are useful to fix and verify theory, and, as consequence, to promote behavioral change and/or maintenance. In addition, the widespread nature of our project has allowed us to reach people in their own territory, in a region (i.e. Abruzzo) with a natural green vocation, with high biodiversity, and local food and wine culture.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
Design, implementation and realization of the project included the interaction of medicine-based disciplines (i.e. physical activity, exercise, nutrition, psychophysiology, forest and nature therapy, and health) with nature-based (i.e. ecology, geology, flora and fauna) disciplines, together with anthropological and social knowledges. As the fields were logically and naturally connected, it was simple to allow the interaction of the representatives of the different fields as unique body. Therefore, as coordinator of the group, I applied the principles learned during the “Pragmatic evaluation in physical activity and public health” course. The course has been held in 2016, in Cape Town, and it has been organized by Oxford, Edinburgh, Cape Town and Sidney Universities and by the WHO collaborating centre for physical activity nutrition and obesity of Sidney University. The added value of the project was the common vision of the importance of nature-based approach for our psychophysical health.
Methodology used
As previously described, the approach was multidisciplinary as it allowed the creation of knowledge, based on theory and personal experiences, both in common people and in future professionals, through several and different stimulations. In this way, we contemporaneous created a new nature-based health awareness, the begin of a nature-based behavioral change, the necessity of professionals being able to satisfy the new requests, and their training.
How stakeholders are engaged
We had the official partnership with “Torre del Cerrano” Marine Protected Area furnishing all the necessary facilities for the organization of those theoretical and practical events organized on the seaside. In addition, “Torre del Cerrano” Marine Protected Area publicized the events through its communication channels. For the new version of the project we are also obtaining the partnerships of the Mountaineer National Parks of the Abruzzo region. The added value of their direct engagement is the creation of an “alliance of health promoters” being able to enlarge the promotion of the messages and events with a more authoritative and plural voice.
Global challenges
Generally, the project allowed a sustainable and inclusive future starting from and supporting a nature-based health.
Learning transferred to other parties
All the aspect of our project can be replicated in other places being similar with natural and sociocultural characteristics of the Abruzzo region. In addition, the inclusion of breast cancer survivors, caregivers, associations, healthy people and university students is the proof of the transversality and replicability of the project which should maintain our multidisciplinarity and plurality of objectives.
Keywords
Wild nature
Psychophysical health
Physical exercise
Training
Healthy local food
