Coinciding with World Asthma Day, we present the first part of an interview conducted to Soledad Román, general director of the Roger Torné Foundation (Barcelona). She was named the 2006 member of the Board of Trustees of the foundation, a position she held until 2012, resigning on her own decision. She has been general director since 2008, and with her appointment it was intended to launch the social project, make it visible, and thus be able to lead / manage the social programs, as well as the training of the human team that performs them.
Soledad has more than 20 years of experience as a consultant in the fields of finance, economic management and human resources in multiple companies, especially in women-run SMEs. Throughout his career he has led projects that needed to implement significant changes in business culture, organizational restructuring as well as integrations.
Sometimes we have talked here about the entity that directs Soledad, although I would like present your activity more extensively. They carry out a social project whose priority is the protection of children, highlighting their vulnerability to the influence of the environment on your health.
Through the interview that we started today, we will try to approach the Foundation's projects, although its activity is very broad and develops constantly, so it is difficult to get the idea of all the work done. We have divided the content into two deliveries, so I hope tomorrow stay tuned for the continuation. Today we will focus on the activity of the Foundation and learn more about the factors involved in the onset of asthma. We leave for tomorrow the negative consequences of children growing away from the natural environment, and we will discover how to be in contact with the green, it is not necessary to plant yourself in the middle of the forest.
Peques y Más.- The Foundation directs its activity mainly to three groups including children. What main objectives are raised regarding child health.
Soledad Román.- Our social project has a double objective: The first is to prevent children's health through respiratory education and contact with nature. This objective is aimed exclusively at children in a difficult socio-economic situation. However, the second of the objectives is the dissemination and awareness of society (especially families) of children's vulnerability to environmental factors or the environment.
What we do or do not do in our daily lives influences the health of children, but also when they cease to be, since habits acquired in childhood tend to last over time. We try to sensitize families, that is, inform them but motivate them to act to incorporate healthy behavior patterns or to abandon behavior patterns that are not. We are looking for different formats to reach families, for example we are currently carrying out a cycle of talks for families about healthy habits together with the Catalan Association of Primary Care for different entities in depressed areas of Barcelona.
We have a free application “Inspira para Mothers and Mothers” (for IOS and Android) that allows the user to receive information on child health and the environment, make free consultations to the team of Parents and Mothers and receive a weekly advice to improve health of their children. On our website you can access Inspira, an online magazine about children's health and the environment that counts with serious and rigorous information and to the medical office for fathers and mothers where there is a large content of documentation explained in an accessible and easy to understand way. In all of them the team of collaborators is made up of renowned professionals from different fields.
Another of our activities in the field of sensitization is the promotion of an Annual Conference aimed at the professional public of the health and social field. This year we will hold the V Day, which aims to encourage reflection, in the context of the city and from different areas of action, on how to sensitize civil society to encourage a change in family behavior in relation to health infantile and the influence in this of its surroundings.
We like to say that children should be the architects of the cities
That's why under the title “Children, health and city” we will meet on October 9 at the Macaya Palace in Barcelona to representatives of the public, medical-pediatric, educational, socio-environmental, media and third sector sectors to discuss and draw conclusions that may be useful for all those public or private non-profit entities that work to improve and prevent child health within the city.
PyM.- What is the origin of the foundation he directs?
MR.- First of all I would like to say that the Roger Torné Foundation is private non-profit and does not receive any public subsidy. Its origin dates back to the early 1980s, when Josep Torné i Pardell, a Sabadell industrialist creates a charitable foundation for children without family support or in a serious economic-cultural environment. For this purpose, he assigned a personal patrimony that would allow financing the start of the project.
On May 22, 1984, the Roger Torné Foundation was formally constituted and since then and until the death of the founder in 2000 he was an active part of the Catalan Foundations Coordinator and participated in the elaboration of the ethical code, carrying out a patronage activity very varied, both for the objectives pursued and for the large number of entities in Catalonia and different individuals who received financial aid.
In 2006 the Foundation started a own, innovative and pioneering social project, whose priority is protection and help for unprotected children, but showing its vulnerability to the influence of the environment and its environment on health. From this moment on, the Roger Torne Foundation starts an intense awareness activity in three areas: In the classroom with activities for families and children, such as the AIR exhibition, respiratory education workshops or talks. We have publications aimed at children, such as our collection of Mapendo Tales or for families with Los Cuadernos del Aire or the Children's Health and Environment Guide. At the same time, our Respiro and Airea programs have allowed dozens of children with respiratory problems and from families with economic difficulties to improve their health status.
What we do or do not do in our daily lives influences the health of children, but also when they stop being so, since habits acquired in childhood tend to last over time.
PyM.- What are the main factors that determine the onset of asthma?
MR.- First of all, keep in mind that Asthma is the first cause of hospital admission in children and the first reason for school absenteeism due to chronic illness. The prevalence of this disease makes it the most frequent chronic pathology of childhood and adolescence. According to the ISAAC study, the incidence of asthma among the Spanish child population has increased in recent years. This work has shown that asthma has worsened in frequency and intensity in children 6 to 7 years of age.
Both poor indoor and outdoor air quality contribute substantially to the burden of asthma and other respiratory problems in children. It has been shown that some chemical compounds, environmental pollutants, can affect children's health. Childhood exposure to these pollutants has contributed to a change in pediatric pathologies and is related to a decrease in lung function and / or an increase in respiratory conditions, such as asthma and allergies.
Peques and More.- Why is the children's respiratory system more vulnerable to a toxic environment?
MR.- The lungs and airways of children they are immature and therefore especially susceptible to the aggression of pollution. According to the pediatrician Dr. Manuel Praena, member of the Advisory Council of the Roger Torné Foundation and coordinator of the AEPap Airway Group, developing lungs have a large area through which contaminants can be easily absorbed. In addition, children breathe faster and inhale and absorb a relatively larger volume of contaminants compared to adults. All this means that allergic diseases have multiplied by four in the last 30 years, and it is estimated that currently 25% of children develop some at some point in their growth.
According to a publication of the Research Center in Environmental Epidemiology, if the average exposure of nitrogen dioxide and suspended particles were reduced from 50 to 20 mg / m, it is estimated that there would be 3,500 fewer deaths, 1,800 fewer hospital admissions due to cardio-respiratory causes , 31,100 fewer cases of bronchitis in children and 54,000 fewer asthma attacks in children and adults.
Among the main substances harmful to the developing respiratory system are the indoor pollutants, such as environmental tobacco smoke, combustion products, volatile organic compounds, biological compounds and allergens. However, there are also other outdoor air pollutants present in the environment at worrying levels. These include air pollutants of particulate matter, tropospheric ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other toxic substances, ”says the expert.
For all these data it is a priority that families Become aware of this problem and demand that the public administration comply with the regulations on environmental protection to mitigate the impact of pollution on the development and worsening of asthma. Do not forget that good breathing is a guarantee of health.
PyM.- After reading the information about the Respiro projects in Xarxa and Airea, I wonder if he knows similar initiatives in other places in Spain. By the way can you tell us about the beneficiaries?
MR.- No, although I would love it that way. And indeed they are aimed at children with respiratory difficulties, and also children with allergies, for those who are specially designed. Regarding allergies, there are specialists who calculate the percentage of children who suffer from them by 25%. These programs give answers to children who, due to their social and family situation, have difficult access to Nature,.
But ultimately, the main recipients are minors with respiratory problems, and not only the approach to Nature is sought, but also enhance the benefits of doing so. The activities are specially designed for this group.
As for allergic beneficiaries, we not only talk about respiratory allergies, but also those who suffer from food allergies. We admit them because Not all entities are prepared for treatment from leisure or educational projects. In this sense, our philosophy is to provide food suitable for children with all types of food allergies, and on the other, ensure that they do not feel excluded from the rest of the group (for example, there are days that gluten-free menus are served for the whole group, thus avoiding differences).
The relatives of these little ones notice the evolution and realize the improvement experienced by their children
PyM.- When listening to her talk about children and breathing difficulties; and about the need to develop these projects that we are talking about, I wonder if there are objective differences that can determine a higher prevalence of these problems in children living in urban settings.
MR.- The differences are found mainly by the type of zone (for example in the Mediterranean, due to the humidity the appearance of respiratory problems is propitiated). The characterization of these difficulties is very wide, so it is very difficult to have the data you ask me. In addition, we normally receive children from the cities, so we do not have data that allows comparison.
What is unhealthy for the little ones is to breathe the polluted air of a big city such as Barcelona, which crosses the limits recommended by WHO; if there is no contact with Nature, or residence in places with poor health; There are many possibilities for them to develop these problems.
Poor indoor and outdoor air quality contributes substantially to the burden of asthma and other respiratory problems in children
I thank Soledad Román, and Marta Rosés (responsible for communication of the Foundation) for their collaboration (and their time) so that we could materialize this interview, it has been very nice to meet them, and discover more fully the work that the whole team does with the focus on children's health.
I hope you liked it, and I invite you to tomorrow be aware of the new blog posts, so you can read the second part.
