Blanes is taking part in Girostudi, a public health innovation project led by Dipsalut, the Public Health Organisation of the Girona Provincial Council, with support from the Catalan government and scientific and health institutions. The town is one of 18 Girona municipalities included in the study.
The project aims to give residents and local organisations across Girona useful, reliable information. According to the organisers, the data will help track social, environmental and health factors, as well as inequalities, over time. Blanes City Council says its Public Health Department is supporting the work.
The study will create a cohort, a group of people who provide data on the same topic over a long period. In total, more than 4,000 people from across the Girona area will take part, with information collected over 10 years about health, well-being, living conditions and the environment. Participants will also provide biological samples.
In Blanes, around 400 residents are expected to join the sample. Organisers are contacting people by telephone if they match the required profile, then arranging face-to-face interviews and sample collection. The council has provided space in the City Promotion building for these sessions.
The council has also launched a communication campaign so residents do not mistake the calls for a scam. Posters, leaflets and radio spots are being used, and Blanes mayor Jordi Hernández and local athlete Xavi Marina have recorded a video asking people to take part. The video will be shown at the 9th Sports Night, which is expected to bring more than 1,500 people to Blanes Sports City.
Telephone calls are continuing and in-person interviews began this week. A Girostudi banner has also been placed in a central location. On Thursday, 18 June, an information talk is due to take place in the Plenary Hall with Pau Batlle, coordinator of the Dipsalut Observatory. For more local updates, see our news coverage.
