The University of Barcelona and the USSAP lead a pioneering project to prescribe the sea as therapy

The physical, emotional and social benefits provided by activities carried out in water or in the marine environment are known as "blue health". But what is the minimum dose of sea for an activity to have a real therapeutic effect? And, above all, which activities work best for which pathologies?

Answering these questions is the aim of the new SeaHeals European project, coordinated by the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona under the leadership of researchers Laura Viñals, David Gallardo and Jordi Renom, together with the French partners of the USSAP (Union Sanitaire et Sociale pour l'Accompagnement et la Prévention).

This cross-border project (Interreg-POCTEFA), which has a budget of 1.06 million euros and is co-financed by the European Union, will monitor 1,800 people over three years. The activities will be distributed throughout the coast, from the Pyrenees to the Garraf coast, and will range from contemplative practices and yoga on the beach, to more active activities such as rowing, kayaking or light sailing.

Scientific evidence for social prescription The central aim of the research is not only to confirm that "the sea is good for everyone", but to provide healthcare professionals with rigorous scientific evidence that allows them to personalize interventions. Thus, it seeks to establish academically validated protocols so that doctors and social workers can refer patients — whether to treat anxiety, sedentary lifestyle or unwanted loneliness — to a safe blue medical prescription.

To guarantee this rigor, the study will have a network of collaborating centers and entities that will have to train their technicians in a specific way. "It's not about entering the sea as a tourist: you have to have protocols and awareness of what you're going to do", point out the coordination team, emphasizing the need to professionalize this therapeutic support.

The evaluation of this impact will combine, on the one hand, the monitoring of psychological well-being indicators by the UB and, on the other, the assessment of the impact on physical health through the functional rehabilitation center of the USSAP in Cervera de la Marenda (Occitania), whose swimming pools collect water directly from the Mediterranean. The first samplings will begin this fall.

Adaptation of the original news: https://www.elpuntavui.cat/societat/article/14-salut/2669567-fer-terapia-i-salut-al-mar-per-sortir-dels-consultoris.html