Health education and environmental education: contributions of older people to the integration of the fields

Purpose Therefore, our goal is to understand the possibilities and potentialities of articulation between environmental education and health education from the perception of older individuals. We evaluated this group’s perspectives due to their life experiences and health concerns. This research employed walking ethnography, a qualitative methodology based on sensory ethnography for data production. The methodology recognizes lived experiences, perceptions and construction of knowledge through location and social context. Design/methodology/approach Environmental education and health education are fields of study and practice with different origins, approaches and theoretical frameworks. Environmental education includes authors working in ecological epistemologies, which are defined by the need to overcome modern dualities and dichotomies between human-world-environment. When working on socioecological, formative and pedagogical aspects, health education provides an opportunity to be a protagonist in understanding and transforming their own reality, covering cultural, social, economic, environmental and other aspects. Despite their interdisciplinary perspectives and the fact that both are initiatives that integrate health and the environment, there are few attempts to bring environmental education and health education into dialogue. Findings The data indicated the emergence of three categories: attentionalities, ethics and presence, which demonstrate the potential of the Buen Vivir philosophy for articulating health education and environmental education. Originality/value Dialogues between these research fields can facilitate educational practices that emphasize sensations and emotions, are motivated by embodiment and offer new perspectives on environmental education and health education.