Dr. Kaja Kastelic and Dr. Mike Burnard, InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM researchers, attended the HEPA Europe International Conference, held 8-10 September 2026, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Dr. Kastelic chaired a symposium entitled “Socio-Ecological Drivers of 24-hour Movement Behaviours: From Guidelines Adherence Studies to Methodological Advances in Compositional Data Analysis”.

Image: Jan Zorič

Across five presentations, the authors highlighted how various sociodemographic factors, occupational demands and time spent in nature influence 24-hour movement behaviours, including physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep.

Research findings were also presented by Prof. Dr. Nejc Šarabon (UP FVZ), Assist. Prof. Dr. Nastja Podrekar Loredan (UP FVZ) and Nejc Črnčič (PhD student at UP FVZ).

Image: Jan Zorič

Image: Jan Zorič

The HEPA Europe International Conference was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), in collaboration with partners including UP FVZ, under the slogan “Green Pathways to Health: Integrating Green Spaces and 24-Hour Movement Behaviours for Combating NCDs”.