“We should treat extreme weather events as an important health issue in Europe,” says Prof. Roel Vermeulen, professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Science at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.   Across Europe, we’re seeing more extreme weather...

How can we make the European landscape more resilient to wildfires? Experts are testing out different prevention strategies on different areas through predictive models and computer simulations. One of them is Prof. Juan Picos from the University of Vigo (Spain), co-coordinator of the cross-border EU-funded...

Fuelled by climate change and a shift in land-use practices, wildfires are increasing in number and intensity across Europe. In fact, last year was the worst year for wildfires in Europe in 20 years, according to an EUMETSAT report. Its authors contribute the intensity of the fires to factors like increasingly...

For approximately 30 years, the Italian National Research Council has partnered with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) to survey more than 113,800 students aged 15–16 across Europe to monitor adolescent risk behaviours. The latest findings reveal that, although cannabis, alcohol, and traditional...

Margreet de Looze is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University. Her research examines how social and cultural contexts shape young people’s health and well-being, with a particular focus on adolescent substance use, mental health, and sexual health. Over the past...

Sabrina Molinaro is the Director of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Health Services Research at the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (IFC-CNR) in Italy.   Over the years, she has conceived and led more than 50 research projects, including both competitive (European...

While genomics has revolutionised our understanding of hereditary health conditions, research suggests that up to 90% of disease risks are actually linked to environmental exposures rather than genetics alone.   Improved understanding and prevention of chronic illnesses, which account for most healthcare...

A woman sitting on the floor in front of a couchWHO data show that young people aged 18-29 are 30% to 80% more likely to report symptoms of depression or anxiety than adults. What are the primary reasons for this, and how have these trends evolved?   Francisca Vargas Lopes: I think this is a very interesting...