Data, not guesswork
“Combining these data will help the city answer not only the question of where air pollution occurs, but also where it may coincide with elevated health risks and which groups of residents may require particular attention,” explains Professor Mariusz Panczyk of the Department of Education and Research in Health Sciences at the Medical University of Warsaw, who will lead the university’s work on the WAIR Health project.
Warsaw will be able to use this knowledge to set priorities for public health initiatives. As in evidence-based medicine, decisions based on reliable data also enable more efficient use of public funds in urban management, reduce the risk of poor decisions based solely on intuition, and ultimately deliver tangible social benefits.
New tools for a healthy Warsaw
The WAIR Health project aims to equip the city with a set of tools for systematically monitoring the impact of the environment on the health of Warsaw residents. These tools will include a data repository, an analytical methodology, maps identifying areas with elevated health risks, and guidelines for preparing and updating analyses.
Importantly, the project will make it possible to move away from obtaining information through numerous individual, fragmented studies toward a coherent, sustainable system for collecting, analyzing, and using data in decision-making processes.
The tools developed under WAIR Health will enable the city not only to respond effectively to its current needs but also to support its long-term development and strengthen its resilience to future challenges, such as an aging population.
Building on existing collaboration to broaden the scope of analysis
The new WAIR Health project stems from closer collaboration between the Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw University of Technology, and the City of Warsaw Office under the Partnership for Healthy Cities initiative. The initiative is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organization, with Vital Strategies serving as the implementation partner.
What has already been accomplished through this collaboration
- The first stage focused on establishing the foundations for health monitoring.
The Evidence-Based Warsaw’s Health project identified data sources, proposed indicators, and developed a framework for systematically tracking changes in population health. - In the second stage, researchers developed analytical tools. An interactive dashboard was created to enable analysis of trends and data by selected population characteristics and areas of the city.
- The third stage expanded the health monitoring system. More recent data and additional indicators were incorporated, and work began on a concept for integrating air quality data.
- The current stage involves implementing the WAIR Health project. The project aims to integrate environmental and health analyses into a more coherent process that can be used on a regular basis.
Complementary expertise
The Medical University of Warsaw and Warsaw University of Technology bring not only research experience to the WAIR Health project but also advanced expertise in its key areas. The Medical University of Warsaw brings expertise in public health, epidemiology, health data analysis, and population health monitoring, while Professor Artur Badyda’s team at Warsaw University of Technology specializes in air quality, the assessment of measurement data, and exposure modeling.
The involvement of the City of Warsaw Office at every stage of the project adds further value to the initiative.
“The purpose of scientific research is not only to expand knowledge but also to provide a basis for better decisions, whether we are talking about treating patients or urban planning. The city’s involvement in these projects is crucial because it means that the knowledge generated will translate into concrete actions that benefit residents,” emphasizes Professor Mariusz Panczyk.