FRESHAIR4Life update: Greece

The picturesque island of Crete, the largest within Greece, served as the third destination for the FRESHAIR4Life study’s situational analysis. This time, a diverse range of adolescents were approached through the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, University of Crete team. They were engaged through various educational institutions, including high schools, technical schools, and universities. 

The research team, with the assistance of school administrators and teachers, organised focus group discussions and Photovoice activities, with teachers also participating in the former. Their enthusiasm, openness, and willingness to collaborate were striking. In addition to conducting fieldwork in Heraklion, the island's largest city, the research team visited the smaller towns and villages scattered across Crete. This enabled them to gather a wealth of data, which added to the existing collection from the Kyrgyz Republic and Pakistan. More specifically, the Greek team conducted 24 interviews, 11 focus group discussions, and 3 Photovoice sessions, adding over 110 participants to the FRESHAIR4Life situational analysis. During these interactions, the team was often surprised and enlightened by the insights shared during the interviews and discussions from a wide range of individuals, including adolescents, healthcare professionals, educators, government officials, and public health managers. Consequently, through this process and the subsequent analysis of the data, the team will be able to design and implement simple yet effective interventions for the next phase of the study, forming the FRESHAIR4Life prevention package. 

In conclusion, Crete presented unique challenges, despite its smaller scale and the presence of established healthcare and education infrastructure compared to Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. It also showcased its own cadre of change-makers and inspiring experts.