Action Project Research Articles

7.G. Round table: Primary prevention and management of NCDs – the added value of joint actions across Europe

Abstract Two ambitious European joint action projects, funded through the EU4Health programme, are ongoing to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related risk factors in Europe, targeting both individual and societal levels. Together, these projects aim to scale up effective prevention and management strategies, strengthen public health policies and promote equitable and sustainable healthcare systems across Europe. The Joint Action on CARdiovascular Diseases and DIabetes (JACARDI), with 21 participating countries and a total budget of over €66 million, is focusing on enhancing the implementation of evidence-based innovative pilot projects across the entire patient journey. This includes efforts to improve prevention, early diagnosis, and proactive management of NCDs. The Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD), with 25 participating countries and a total budget of over €95 million, particularly aims to enhance joint capacities of countries for implementing, scaling up and evaluating prevention policies and actions at various levels. These projects represent complementary responses to calls for action in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Healthier Together - EU NCD Initiative, with JA PreventNCD emphasizing primary prevention and policy while JACARDI focuses on secondary prevention and health systems strengthening. Both projects will generate new policy-relevant evidence based on implementation, monitoring and scaling-up of best and innovative practices and policies across Europe. The projects share a focus on equity, diversity, scalability and sustainability, while avoiding fragmentation and duplication of actions. Under the EU4Health programme, launched to strengthen European health collaboration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has recently invested over €200 million in public health initiatives, with additional investments from national authorities participating in the joint actions. With this new wave of funding, real population impact should be anticipated, but what can we realistically expect to be the outcomes and what are the criteria for success? In this round table discussion 1) these two joint action projects will be presented, highlighting their innovative aspects; 2) views on the added value and potential in cross-national collaborations for prevention and management of NCDs will be debated, and 3) how synergies will be leveraged for maximum impact will be explored. Panelists will share their perspectives on the projects’ potential to change the public health landscape in Europe. Workshop participants will subsequently be encouraged to engage in the discussion with the objective that views and experiences are exchanged, opportunities for collaboration and engagement are shared and energy is mobilized to harness the benefits of such large-scale policy-relevant collaborations. Key messages • Synergies and collaboration to drive policy development and foster increased capacity are the pillars to build a healthier Europe. • Two large-scale Joint Actions drive impact by highlighting innovative NCD prevention strategies and fostering collaborative engagement.

Materiality of Memorialisation: Mapping Migrant Women's Landmarks in Europe

This article investigates the memorialization of migrant women across transcultural landscapes, and analyses results from the Register of Migrant Women Landmarks in Europe (hereinafter RMWLE), central to the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action project “Women on the Move” (CA19112 – WEMov). It serves as reference for subsequent research based on data from this Register, for which data collection is continuing. The RMWLE registers toponyms, such as monuments, plaques, streets and other infrastructures named after women with a significant history of migration. It honours aspects rarely prioritized in memorialisation agendas, which are skewed towards men’s stories, and towards the more linear biographies of sedentary figures whose European, national, and regional memorialisation have remained uncomplicated by migration. This Deep Data study reveals recurring patterns at the level of Europe in the memorialisation of these women migrants. The diversity of stories, the richness and the prominence of landmarks devoted to men compared to women is a subject well-covered in memorialisation studies. This unbalance is compounded by the data from our register which shows landmarks on women migrants that are sometime tokenized, often marginalized, and which reproduce the bias towards nurture and care that have besieged the memorialisation of women in general. It further shows that the memorialisation process and the political and cultural mechanisms of official celebration often work against the recognition of cross-border careers and stories. The intersectionality of the project, highlighting both gender and migration, uncovers a political landscape of toponyms – and we reflect on how this register can help combat cultural prejudice by recovering migration episodes. The RMWLE helps us reflect on the defining impact of migration episodes, a reality rarely underlined in the biographies of famous women. This article favours a storytelling approach, to counter dominant cultural narratives and knowledge practices.

Burj Rashid: a tale of two tides – rising waters and changing traditions

PurposeThis paper delves into the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and practices of Burj Rashid, an ancient historical city on Egypt’s northern coast, which stands at the meeting point of the Nile’s western branch and the Mediterranean Sea. Burj Rashid boasts a strategic location and rich natural resources and has a long history of relationships between land, people, river, sea and climate change, serving as a model for residents’ adaptation to their ever-changing surroundings.Design/methodology/approachClimate studies have exposed the village’s vulnerability to climate and topographical hazards such as rising temperatures, shifting weather patterns, decreasing precipitation, encroaching seas due to sea level rise, coastal erosion and high soil salinization. These factors pose a high risk of water scarcity, crop failure in the medium term, potential famine in the long term and declining fish populations, threatening fishing communities. To address these challenges, the Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action project - launched by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the First Aid and Resilience for Culture in Times of Crisis program, funded by Swedish Postcode - proposes a research and development methodology through a platform that weaves together heritage knowledge and climate science. The Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation has implemented a platform in Burj Rashid as an innovative site to study risks, vulnerabilities and capacities.FindingsThe project will explore root causes, identify risk scenarios and establish a stakeholder map to guide the development of mitigation strategies and resilience-building measures.Originality/valueBy harnessing the wisdom of TEK and integrating it with scientific knowledge, the project paves the way for innovative climate change adaptation strategies that ensure the long-term sustainability of Burj Rashid’s unique cultural heritage.

Deepening the Decade: Collaborative Action for Advancing Deep‐Ocean Science and Policy in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

AbstractThe current United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030; hereafter, the Decade) offers a unique opportunity and framework to globally advance ocean science and policy. Achieving meaningful progress within the Decade requires collaboration and coordination across Decade Actions (Programs, Projects, and Centres). This coordination is particularly important for the deep ocean, which remains critically under‐sampled compared to other ecosystems. Despite the limited sampling, the deep ocean accounts for over 95% of Earth's habitable space, plays a crucial role in regulating the carbon cycle and global temperatures, and supports diverse ecosystems. To collectively advance deep‐ocean science, we gathered representatives from 20 Decade Actions that focus at least partially on the deep ocean. We identified five broad themes that aim to advance deep‐ocean science in alignment with the Decade's overarching 10 Challenges: natural capital and the blue economy, biodiversity, deep‐ocean observing, best practices in data sharing, and capacity building. Within each theme, we propose concrete objectives (termed Cohesive Asks) and milestones (Targets) for the deep‐ocean community. Developing these Cohesive Asks and Targets reflects a commitment to better coordination across deep‐ocean Decade Actions. We aim to build bridges across deep‐ocean disciplines, which encompass natural science, ocean observing, policy, and capacity development.

Using scenario tree modelling to evaluate the probability of freedom from Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in Italy and Slovenia.

Documented freedom from disease is paramount for international free trade of animals and animal products. This study describes a scenario tree analysis to estimate the probability of freedom from Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in Italy and Slovenia using information gathered via the data collection tool developed in the COST action project SOUND-control. Data on EBL control programmes (CPs) from 2018 to 2021 were used to build the models. Since animals are only sampled on the farm, one surveillance system component (SSC) was considered. The posterior probability of freedom (PostPfree) was estimated in time steps of one year, from 2018 to 2021. After each year, the calculated from the previous year, combined with the probability of introduction, was used as a prior probability for the next year. The herd level design prevalence was set to 0.2% in accordance with the Council Directive 64/432/EEC and the within herd design prevalence was set to 15%. As Slovenia implemented a risk-based surveillance, targeting the herds importing cattle, in its model the design herd prevalence was combined with an average adjusted risk to calculate the effective probability of a herd importing cattle being infected. The models were run for 10,000 iterations. Over the study period the mean estimates were: i) for Italy both the surveillance system sensitivity ( SSe) and PostPFree 100%, with no differences between simulations and years, ii) for Slovenia the SSe was 50.5% while the PostPFreewas 81.6%.

Motivation of The Volunteer Participants for Social Action Projects in a Private University in Mexico

Motivation of The Volunteer Participants for Social Action Projects in a Private University in Mexico

Experimental assessment of hull, propeller, and the gate rudder system interaction in calm water and oblique waves

This study focuses on the experimental assessment of the EU H2020 Innovation Action project GATERS' target ship, a 7241 DWT multi-purpose dry cargo ship (M/V ERGE), scaled to 1/27.1, in calm water and oblique wave (at a yaw angle of the ship model) conditions. M/V ERGE was initially built with a Conventional Rudder System (CRS) in 2010 but was later retrofitted with a newly introduced energy-saving device, the Gate Rudder System (GRS), in 2023 as part of the GATERS project. In this project, the interaction of the GRS with the hull and propeller was investigated using model tests of the vessel in the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory's (KHL) towing tank at the University of Strathclyde (UoS) and compared to the CRS. The main objectives of these tests were threefold. While they aimed to make experimental contributions toward the establishment of the best procedure for estimating the powering prediction of a ship with the GRS, they also aimed to investigate the hull, propeller and rudder interaction for the CRS and GRS configurations. In addition, a set of comparative pilot tests were conducted in waves to explore the effect of the oblique waves on the vessel's performance with the CRS and GRS. The resistance and self-propulsion tests were performed for both the CRS and GRS configurations, and performance predictions based on the model tests were compared with sea trials. Furthermore, tests at a yaw angle of the ship model were conducted to evaluate the effect of waves on the vessel's performance with the CRS and GRS, simulating the in-service conditions of commercial ships. These tests were conducted in regular waves with the hull at a yaw angle to simulate oblique wave conditions, with a wave height of 1.25 m in full scale (corresponding to moderate breeze, Beaufort 4) for a range of wavelengths. Numerical analyses were performed to obtain the full-scale propeller open water characteristics. The paper demonstrates the superior interaction of the GRS with the hull and propeller in both conditions compared to the CRS configuration, even improving its contribution to the vessel's performance in oblique waves.

Utilizing sociocultural identity to cope with poverty-related stress: methodological insights from developing a coping intervention

ABSTRACT Cultural identity affirmation, pride, and belongingness are known to protect youth from negative outcomes in the face of uncontrollable stresses such as discrimination, economic hardship, and community violence. Scholars have argued that racial, cultural, and other social identities serve as important coping resources, encouraging active coping and the use of social support and mitigating the impact of stress for marginalized youth. The Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills (BaSICS) program was designed to improve mental health by targeting the skills, assets, and resources known to protect against developing emotional and behavioral symptoms and disorders. In the BaSICS intervention, youth explore their cultural and social identities to strengthen their understanding of, and connection to, positively supportive social groups via exploration of family and community cultural heritage. Youth are then encouraged to engage their collaborative coping skills founded in their sociocultural identities, working together on a project of collective community action. This methodological paper will describe the theory and development of the BaSICS identity development and collective coping module.

Integrating SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing in maternal, neonatal and child health, HIV, and TB clinics in Kenya and Cameroon: outcomes from the Catalysing COVID-19 Action Project

IntroductionEarly diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is key to preventing severe disease and poor outcomes in vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and people living with HIV or diagnosed with tuberculosis...

Climate action to enable quality education: exploring the potential of Eco-Schools to reverse the triple education crises in Rwanda

This article presents the results of research conducted between 2021 and 2023 by the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) with 240 partners including teachers, learners and parents in six Rwandan schools. A relational knowledge co-creation methodology was used to gain a shared understanding of education and climate change challenges in the schools and co-create solutions using the Eco-Schools problem-based learning pedagogy. The knowledge co-creation processes revealed a negative relationship at the intersection between climate change and quality education which is interrupting successful implementation of both the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC), and the School Feeding Programme policies of the Government of Rwanda, affecting national progress towards SDG 4 and SDG 13. However, by integrating climate action projects in the CBC, with practical skills and knowledge from parents and wider community members, education barriers caused by poor school conditions, and poor nutrition, health and comfort of learners are being removed, while the quality and relevance of teaching and learning in schools is being improved. The article therefore proposes the Eco-Schools programme as a potential means of simultaneously addressing the UN’s ‘triple crisis’ of inclusion, quality and relevance. Ultimately, by showing that it is possible to transform education in even the most challenged schools, at a relatively low cost, within a very short space of time (one school year) and without large-scale curriculum reform or infrastructure, the findings of this research promote wider, faster and more optimistic progression toward the UNESCO’s ‘Reimagining Education’ vision and the Greening Education Partnership targets.

STEAM for Social Change: The Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project

For the past five years, there have been separate but parallel efforts to encourage both civics and STEM development. Historically, there have not been opportunities to support youth of color in social justice work while they are gaining technology skills and developing their leadership skills in their communities. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) for Social Change is an after-school program of DIVAS for Social Justice that combines these two. It is offered in Southeast Queens and Central Brooklyn at Title I schools. DIVAS for Social Justice also challenges the notion that certain topics cannot be taught to younger children (8-11). Instead, there is greater importance on introducing the intersection between STEAM and social justice to ensure the development of critical thinking skills. This article focuses on one of the projects: The Anti-Gun Violence Asset Mapping Project. It demonstrates how students can be supported to engage in a social action project as they leverage STEAM skills to address the issue. DIVAS explores the importance of projects that can allow youth of color to lead a project that leads to conversations, and changes in policy, and instills pride in them. 

The Threefold Role of the University in Fostering the Energy Transition: The Case of Bologna and Its Cesena Campus

As acceleration toward the transition to a carbon-neutral energy production becomes an urgent imperative, universities are called to play a multifaceted role: to produce knowledge and cutting-edge research for the pursuit of energy transition; to transform infrastructures to promote circular economy practices and a more sustainable use of their building stock; and to promote energy citizenship through formal and informal education. The authors aim to move from these considerations to critically present some actions and programs in education, research, and campus operations in which the University of Bologna is engaged. The first part presents an overview of the role of universities in this transition, with a focus on the UI GreenMetric international standard for assessing the different dimensions of sustainability. In the core section, an empirical focus is provided on Bologna and its Cesena campus through three directions: the University’s multicampus sustainable strategy (campus operations), the relevant research–action projects on energy justice and the energy transition (research), and the EN-ACTION project to foster energy citizenship and behavioral change in students and citizens (education). This study concludes that the comprehensive approach of the University of Bologna in integrating sustainability into its operations, education, and research while fostering student engagement in energy citizenship, provides a replicable model for other institutions. It highlights the need for consistent and ongoing support to ensure the long-term impact and effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. The integration of social components and engagement with civil society is crucial for fostering a collective behavioral shift toward low-carbon systems, which can be further supported by interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research approaches.

Árvores sobreviventes ao bombardeamento atómico de Hiroshima

The objective of this article is to publicize the social action project EC-614 of the University of Costa Rica “Trees of peace surviving the Hiroshima atomic bomb: Phase 1: establishment of seedlings in Costa Rica”, as well as the impact it has had especially in public libraries and as a contribution to the fulfillment of objective 16, “Peace, justice and solid institutions”, of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Therefore, a contextualization of libraries as peace-promoting entities is carried out and the project, its genesis and significance are described. Likewise, the conclusions and learning that have been obtained so far with the development of this collaborative project between the School of Biology and the School of Library and Information Sciences of the University of Costa Rica are presented.

The merging of knowledge and teaching about poverty through a participatory action project

ABSTRACT It is known among social work educators that training students about human rights is not only a mandate of the profession’s governing bodies but a desirable goal. While the notion of giving voice to the marginalized is not new to social work and is assumed to be a critical element of social justice, it is not always clear how best to manifest this in pedagogy and practice. This article introduces a training model that incorporates human rights and social work values and ethics. Based on participatory action research by ATD Fourth World, an anti-poverty organization, this training is led by people with lived experience of poverty and of child protection services in the UK. As lay experts and co-creators of knowledge, they guide students to a deeper understanding of the multiple dimensions of poverty and the impact of social work on their lives. This training challenges the power differentials typically embedded in client-clinician relations and focuses on the values underlying social work. This article explores the content and process of the training and implications for the development of human rights education in social work.

Recognizing and responding to children with suspected exposure to intimate partner violence between caregivers.

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV) between parents and other caregivers accounts for nearly half of all cases investigated and substantiated by child welfare authorities in Canada. The emotional, physical, and behavioural impairments associated with CEIPV are similar to effects of other forms of child maltreatment. The identification of children and youth who have been exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) can be challenging due to the non-specific behaviours sometimes associated with such exposure, and the stigma and secrecy that often characterize IPV. Also, responding safely to children and youth with suspected CEIPV can be complicated by the need to consider the safety and well-being of a non-offending caregiver. This position statement presents an evidence-informed approach developed by the Violence, Evidence, Guidance, Action (VEGA) Project for the safe recognition and response to children and youth who are suspected of being exposed to IPV.

A systematic literature review of research examining the impact of citizenship education on active citizenship outcomes

AbstractThis article reports on a systematic review of the evidence concerning the impact of citizenship education, specifically focusing on the effect of different teaching activities on a range of active citizenship outcomes. It provides a narrative synthesis of 109 articles in peer reviewed journals, representing a wide range of methodological approaches. The review was undertaken for a teacher audience and the research team identified four themes with practical implications. First, we discuss the significance of school ethos and distinguish between distinctive aspects of ethos in the literature including relationships between students and teachers, values and behaviours. Second, we explore some of the characteristics of successful projects, including detailed consideration of the type of projects selected for action by young people, the role of teachers, and the duration of projects. This discussion suggests that, whilst full project cycles (involving students identifying and researching areas for action and devising, implementing and reviewing action plans) are valuable, there is also evidence to suggest that short, partial projects may be easier to implement and still secure comparable benefits. Third, we consider the evidence about whether and how citizenship education can have some compensatory effect, closing the civic gap between different groups of young people. In the fourth theme we consider the wide range of teaching strategies which have been demonstrated to have some success in practice.Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThis literature review was undertaken on behalf of a teacher's organisation to consider the evidence base for citizenship education.Why the new findings matterThe review demonstrates the breadth of evidence for the positive impact of citizenship education and highlights several avenues for further exploration relating to school ethos, action projects and reducing inequalities.Implications for researchers and educational institutionsImplications for practice relate to the importance of how students perceive the ethos of the school as a whole, as well as their experiences when learning citizenship. This has specific implications for school leaders whose support is required to nurture a positive school ethos (beyond the formal curriculum). Implications for citizenship teachers include making use of short, partial active citizenship projects more routinely; and adopting strategies for closing the civic gap. Researchers are urged to move beyond large‐scale surveys to explore longitudinal studies in specific contexts to track impacts over time for different students.

Prospects of crambe for the bioeconomy of the Swabian Alb in southwest Germany

Crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst. ex R.E.Fr.) is a drought-tolerant, non-edible annual oil crop with low fertilization needs, and there are compelling opportunities for crambe to capitalize on market growth in natural cosmetics and the regional sustainability. It is therefore proposed for cleaner biomass production on marginal land, and the development of novel value chains and webs in rural areas. Therefore, this study assesses the prospects for growing and processing crambe in the Swabian Alb, a rural area in southwestern Germany large parts of which are characterized by marginal shallow stony soil. A literature review, stakeholder questionnaires, and a SWOT analysis were used to assess crambe's potential in the region. This informed a locally adapted value web, which combines multiple value chains and stakeholders into one interlinked diagram showing present potential valorization opportunities for crambe in the region. However, it was found that it is not currently possible to implement a value web for crambe in the Swabian Alb. Instead, a single value chain involving farmers, cosmetics companies, and biogas plants is possible. To expand this value chain opportunity into a value web, more information is needed for all stakeholders. European Innovation Action projects could help by providing more information about crambe cultivation and by ensuring ecologic and social sustainability. Economic sustainability, however, will require the involvement of other stakeholders in the value web, so that supply matches demand. Local institutions and networks can share knowledge to grow the currently possible value chain into a broader value web. This approach could also be used in other regions to assess the sustainability of novel biobased value chains across social, economic, and environmental dimensions.

Reorientación comunitaria de la atención primaria en un área de salud: proyecto ROCAP

AimEvaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to incorporate group and community activities on a sustained basis in all the Basic Health Zones (ZBS) of a health area. DesignDuring January and February 2019, two members of the research team traveled to each ZBS to interview the medical and nursing coordinators who had previously received an ad hoc initial assessment questionnaire (QAI) by email. PlaceThe scope is the 11 ZBS of a health area. ParticipantsThe study population is the ZBS and the respective teams represented by the medical and nursing coordinations. InterventionsPromote a community health commission, carry out training actions, record activities in clinical history and incorporate management objectives. Main measurementsQuantitative and qualitative analysis was carried out pre and post after the first year of intervention. ResultsIn the pre-evaluation: 6 primary care teams (EAP) reported having group activities, 4 were participating in local action projects, 4 had a professional referent for community activities, 3 participated in projects with populations in vulnerable situations and 4 stated have specific meetings on community health. After the intervention: 11 EAPs had group activities, 8 had a reference professional, 6 were participating in local action projects, 4 collaborated in projects with vulnerable populations and 5 held meetings on community health. ConclusionsThe intervention proved effective after its first year of implementation, since all the EAPs carried out group activities and collaborated with the local councils in the area; the majority had leading professionals in community care and, to a lesser extent, participation in local action projects and in vulnerable populations increased.

Projeto Jovem Doutor Quixadá: O protagonismo dos estudantes de medicina durante a extensão promotora de saúde

Introduction: Adolescence is a phase of life full of emotional, cognitive, social and hormonal transformations, as well as changes in affective relationships between young people and their experience of sexuality. In view of this, connecting education and health is essential for sharing information, identifying users' health needs and fostering individuals' autonomy, so that their choices can be more appropriate, as well as reducing the distance between health professionals and the population. Methodology: This is a descriptive experience report from an extension group, whose main audience was students at a full-time secondary school in the municipality of Quixadá, Ceará. The interventions took place from August 2023 to October 2023. The actions involved an educational blitz, lectures and active methodologies on various topics. In addition, an Instagram social network profile was created to publicize the project's actions and educational-formative content, which enabled a greater reach. The actions were divided into five themes: Educational blitz on the culture of peace; Bullying and Fake news; Negative impacts of alcohol and drug use in adolescence; Mental health; STIs in adolescence. Result: The actions on bullying and the Yellow September action began with a brief explanation of the subject, which helped the students to learn about the topic and those who already knew about it to reaffirm the concept. Later, at the end of the explanation, the students were able to ask questions and share experiences, which made the action more interactive, enriched the debate and enabled a mutual exchange of knowledge. On the other hand, the educational blitz on the culture of peace in schools took a different approach, using pamphlets with the numbers of violence among the public and its impact on the future, so that the young people approached were impacted and recognized the importance of implementing a culture of peace in schools. Finally, the project helped to strengthen the school-university relationship by improving the quality of life of young people, breaking down barriers in the classroom, especially when it came to mental health.

Household Sustainability Labour and the Gendering of Responsibility for Low Waste Living

This article explores the nature of domestic labour involved in sustainability transitions at the household level, with waste reduction as an exemplar. We draw on national survey data (N = 2717) from Australia, and qualitative data from a participatory action project working with 34 householders on experiments in low waste living. We found low waste living was challenging work mentally, physically and interpersonally and required information, skills and the resources of time and money. Waste reduction in households also required relational labour inside and outside the household. On the basis of existing literature and our findings we theorise that sustainability labour is comprised of five overlapping elements: physical, cognitive, relational, economic and political tasks. We argue that reducing waste is an example of sustainability labour that is led largely by women, as they work to change household practices and the systems in which these are embedded, towards a more sustainable future.