Sustainable Health and Wellbeing in the European Union

The "Planning Health in School" Programme (PHS-pro) to Improve Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: Design, Methodology, and Process Evaluation

Few interventions have successfully promoted healthy eating and active living among children with effective changes in anthropometric health outcomes. Well-designed interventions involving multiple strategies to convert the knowledge already available into action are needed for preventing childhood obesity. In this study, an educational programme called "Planning Health in School" (PHS-pro) was designed, implemented and evaluated to contribute to the prevention of obesity in childhood. The PHS-pro aimed at improving the eating behaviours and lifestyles of Portuguese grade-6 children towards healthier nutritional status. This paper describes and evaluates the PHS-pro concerning: (i) the research design within the theoretical framework grounded on "The Transtheoretical Model" and the stages of change; (ii) the educational components and the application of the participatory methodology to engage children to meet their needs, as active participants in their change process; and (iii) the process evaluation of the intervention. The implementation of the PHS-pro took into account the views and inputs of the participants for evaluating the educational components that should be considered in the designing of interventions aiming to be effective strategies. From the health promotion perspective, this study is important because it examines new approaches and pathways to effectively prevent overweight and obesity in children.

Quality of Life of People with Mobility-Related Disabilities in Sweden: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Little is known about the Quality of Life (QoL) and how QoL is related to the social and economic situation of people with mobility-related disabilities in Sweden. QoL and well-being do not only relate to the absence of impairments but also to the level of social inclusion and the economic situation. The objective of this study was to explore if there were differences in QoL between a group with and a group without mobility-related disabilities in Sweden. Cross-sectional data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. WHOQOL-BREF was used to assess QoL. Recruitment was conducted through social media platforms. Comparisons were made between and within groups using the Welch t-test. Generalized linear models were used to predict score change for the WHOQOL-BREF items and domains accounting for sex, age, education, social inclusion, economic situation, and presence of additional or other disability. Included in the analysis was data from 381 participants, 143 with mobility-related disabilities and 238 without. Participants in the mobility-related disability group scored significantly lower than those without on General Health, General QoL, Health Satisfaction, and the four WHOQOL-BREF domains. The group with mobility-related disabilities also reported a lower Social Inclusion Score (SIS) and a higher proportion of people without a cash margin. An increased SIS indicated higher QoL in the generalized linear model, whereas the absence of cash margin and mobility-related disability negatively influenced the QoL scores. This study indicated that a person with mobility-related disabilities has lower QoL than those without mobility-related disabilities. A lower QoL was also related to a lack of cash margin, a lower social inclusion score, and whether there were additional or other disabilities present.

Local Disproportions of Quality of Life and Their Influence on the Process of Green Economy Development in Polish Voivodships in 2010-2020

Voivodships are centres of economic, social, and cultural life-they gather economic and social activities. This research aimed to evaluate the spatial differentiation of the quality of life in voivodships in Poland with the use of a synthetic measure. To achieve the research objective, the research methods used were literature analysis, statistical analysis, and synthetic measure. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution method was used to build synthetic measures. The choice of variables in 2010-2020 was largely conditioned by the availability of data collected in the regional system at the level of voivodships at the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office. As a result of the analysis of voivodships in Poland, based on the quality of life measure, four groups were distinguished (according to the value of quartiles). In the group of the best voivodeships there were: Pomerania, Masovia, Lower Silesia, and West Pomeranian in 2010, and Masovia, Pomerania, Greater Poland, Lower Silesia, and Lesser Poland in 2020, and in the IV, the weakest group: Lodz Province, Podlasie Province, Lubusz Province, and Holy Cross in 2010, and Lodz Province, Podlasie Province, Holy Cross, and Lublin Province in 2020. The synthetic quality of life ranged from 0.37 to 0.56 in 2010 and from 0.39 to 0.64 in 2020. Regional authorities, taking care to improve economic potential, cause increasing the attractiveness of the area and attracting new entrepreneurs, create new jobs, and improve the quality of life of the inhabitants. Quality of life is shaped by economic activity and working conditions, health, education, free time and social relations, economic and physical security, and the quality of the natural environment. The results of the research conducted allow local governments to make comparisons. The conclusions drawn may allow them to identify potential directions for developing policy optimization.