The Coastal Health Lab: Understanding and Assessing Lifestyle, Nutrition, and Quality of Life

This Student Research Hub (SRH) aims to investigate the multidimensional determinants of quality of life (QoL) within smart urban coastal environments through an interdisciplinary, student-led research approach. The hub will focus on assessing lifestyle behaviors and psychosocial factors that influence health and well-being, including perceived stress, sleep quality, physical activity, dietary habits, chrononutrition patterns, emotional eating, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, social support, food environment, and connection to nature.

Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS) requires not only technological innovation and environmental protection but also the promotion of healthy, resilient populations. Coastal urban settings present unique opportunities and challenges, including tourism pressures, seasonal work patterns, environmental stressors, and access to blue and green spaces, all of which can influence lifestyle behaviors and QoL outcomes. By examining these factors simultaneously, students will explore the complex interactions between individual health behaviors, social determinants, and environmental contexts.

Participants will receive training in research methodology, ethical considerations, questionnaire selection, data collection, and basic statistical analysis. Students will work collaboratively in teams to design and implement a small-scale research project using validated assessment tools, administer questionnaires to a target population, analyze collected data, and interpret findings within the SmUCS framework.

The SRH promotes experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, critical thinking, and scientific communication skills while increasing awareness of sustainable health behaviors aligned with Mediterranean coastal cultures. The final outcome will consist of team presentations of research findings and recommendations for improving health and sustainability in urban coastal communities.

General learning outcomes

• Explain and critically evaluate the theoretical foundations, principles, and processes of quality of life within smart urban coastal sustainability contexts.
• Describe key determinants of health behaviors, including stress, sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle patterns.
• Understand principles of chrononutrition, emotional eating, and Mediterranean diet adherence.
• Apply research methodologies in educational settings by designing and conducting a small-scale research protocol using validated questionnaires.
• Interpret research findings in relation to sustainability and public health challenges.
• Collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams, demonstrating skills in communication, problem-solving, and project management.
• Communicate scientific results orally and in written form using appropriate terminology.
• Develop critical thinking regarding health promotion strategies in coastal urban environments.