The physical and social aspects of the places around us have tremendous potential to impact healthy life expectancy and wellbeing at all points of the lifecourse, and understanding how they interact will be crucial to the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI) mission to tackle the epidemic of multimorbidity, to transform ageing and extend healthy lifespans for all.
A new working group led by the Social Sciences has formed to explore how to embed this agenda into HELSI research activity. On 7th October 2021, Beth Perry participated in a workshop on “Place, Wellbeing and Inequality”. Beth presented in the session on “Community Assets & Health and Wellbeing” and argued that schools as place-based institutions to help support an integrative approach to health and well-being across the generations and address long-standing urban inequalities. Drawing on the case study of Arbourthorne Community Primary School in Sheffield Beth argued that schools can act as hubs in addressing multiple determinants of both individual and neighbourhood inequality.
Find out more about the UI’s new Arbourthorne project here.