The non-profit organisations HYDRO and Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) are awarding the Dr Edouard Delcroix Incentive Award for the fifth time. This international annual scientific prize, worth 2,500 EUR, will be awarded to a young scientist conducting research in the broad field of "ocean and human health". The incentive prize is reserved for candidates who recently obtained their master's degree or doctorate, coming from member states of the Council of Europe. Candidates are invited to submit their application form, scientific report and CV by 15 February 2024.
Laureats 2022
Alexander Hooyberg (VLIZ & Ghent University) - Evidence for the health benefits of the Belgian coast: Psycho-physiological mechanisms and environment- and person-specific influential factors
Alexander investigates the effects of the ocean on human health, and as such contributes to addressing knowledge gaps regarding blue spaces, tourism, and wellbeing. Through his research, we get a better understanding of (1) the psychological and physiological effects of coastal exposure on mental health, (2) the environment- and person-specific influential factors that are at play, and (3) the underlying sociological structuring behind these effects.
Sandra J. Geiger (University of Vienna) - Living Closer to the Coast and Visiting it More Often are Associated With Better Self-Reported Health Across 15 Countries
Through her research, Sandra found that people who live closer to the coast and visit it more often report better general health. However, the coast cannot mitigate income-related health inequalities: People with lower household incomes were more likely to report poorer health when living closer to rather than further away from the coast. Most results were generalisable across the 15 countries.
