• H2020
• Societal Challenges
• Health

A new €6m research project is to shed light on how coasts and rivers affect the health of populations across Europe.

The Horizon 2020-funded Blue Health programme will explore how improved access to aquatic environments can benefit public wellbeing while also investigating their potential risks.

Europe has 91,000km of coastline, and more than half of its population live within 50km of the sea. But little research has been conducted into the health impacts of the so-called ‘blue’ environment.

The project will build on pioneering work already completed in the UK and will see researchers assess the effects of large scale initiatives such as dockland regeneration in Estonia and flood-proofing in the Netherlands.

Canal cycle paths in Italy, coastal walking in the UK and man-made environments such as storm drains and water reservoirs will also be investigated over the four and half-year programme, which will additionally explore how virtual aquatic and coastal environments could improve patient wellbeing in UK and Swedish hospitals.

“It’s fantastic that we’re leading this pan-European project here in Truro,” said Dr Matthew White, environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter Medical School.

“We’re hoping to use our findings to develop guidelines on how health should be considered when creating and improving access to aquatic environments, ultimately informing decision makers in healthcare, public health and town planning.”

Institutions in Spain, Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Italy are also involved in the programme, which was launched in January.