A Journey of Well-being (Un Viaggio Di Benessere), the Project Dedicated to the Health of Commuters in Emilia-Romagna, Gets Underway

Turning travel time into quality time for the 215,000 people in Emilia-Romagna who commute to work or study every day, promoting healthy habits and helping prevent the stress and health problems associated with commuting: this is the aim of the project "A Journey of Well-being" - ViBe, coordinated by the Department for Life Quality Studies of the University of Bologna in collaboration with Trenitalia-Tper and Tper.

Problems such as stress, anxiety, depression and sedentary behaviour are also widespread among those who spend hours every day travelling. These are often compounded by poor eating habits and difficulties in managing time, with consequences on physical and mental health.

From tomorrow, videos on monitors aboard of regional trains and posters in bus shelters will link to the project's website, which will guide passengers towards solutions for managing stres, improve their mood and make every journey a more enjoyable experience. By scanning a QR code on the videos and posters, travellers will be able to access a range of content published on the viBe website, including recommendations for regular physical activity, a guide to healthy eating, psychological and mental well-being and a list of cultural events at their destination.

Travellers can find out, for example, which exercises to do during the day to reduce sedentary behaviour, how to adopt and maintain correct posture, and how to carry rucksacks and bags correctly. At the same time, they will be informed about the main risk factors for chronic degenerative diseases (such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity).

During the journey, the public will also be informed about free activities available in Emilia-Romagna, opportunities for socialising and leisure activities that promote and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Over time, the project will be enriched with new elements; in fact, a further objective will be to collect data with a citizen science approach: quizzes and questionnaires on passengers' lifestyles - managed through the website - will make it possible to plan and design additional future interventions aimed at the well-being of the commuting population.

“We are very proud that the University has embraced the aims of the project and funded it through the Public Engagement 2024 call. The idea of proposing content to commuters that could simultaneously contribute to the dissemination of science and encourage the adoption of healthy lifestyles comes from the experience of the many students, colleagues and staff who travel through the region every day to reach their places of work and study. Time spent travelling is often perceived as time taken away from our lives and the aim is to reverse this paradigm and turn it into quality time. In addition to all the colleagues in the QUVI and DIBINEM departments who contributed to the content, we would like to thank our partner institutions: Trenitalia-Tper and Tper, who immediately believed in the idea and took a very active part in its development,' explains Prof. Marco Malaguti, contact person for the 'Un viaggio di salute - ViBe’ (A Journey of Well-being) project.