From April to August 2024, our colleague Daniel Scheller did a research stay at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in Florianópolis, Brazil. During this period, he collaborated with the “Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa em Ambiente Urbano & Saude” (short: GeAS; Research Group on Urban Environment & Health), under the leadership of Professor Cassiano Ricardo Rech (see photo). Daniel worked with GeAS on joint publications in the area of “walkability and health” – conducting research on the extent to which urban spaces can encourage physical activity. Getting to know a Brazilian citiy like Florianópolis in this context offered him an entirely new perspective, allowing him to deepen his understanding of how urban environments can influence health behaviours.
A highlight of his stay was the participation in the 4th Meeting of Research Groups on Environment, Physical Activity & Health, held from June 3rd to 5th, 2024, in Florianópolis. This conference brought together research teams from across Brazil, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Pelotas, and Curitiba, alongside international researchers from the United States (see photo). The conference focused on aligning Brazilian research efforts in the field of physical activity and health within urban environments.