Estefania Castillo Viera

Estefania Castillo Viera serves as a Professor at the University of Huelva within the Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sports Sciences, specifically in the Department of Integrated Didactics. She is actively affiliated with the Research Center on Contemporary Thought and Innovation for Social Development, contributing to interdisciplinary research bridging education, health, and social innovation.

Her academic foundation includes a 2006 PhD from the University of Huelva, where her thesis examined Physical activity habits and healthy lifestyle of students at the University of Huelva, supervised by Dr. Pedro Sáenz-López Buñuel. This early work established her research trajectory in health-promoting behaviors within educational contexts.

Castillo Viera's research spans critical domains in physical education and health sciences, characterized by:

• Gender-focused analysis of sports participation and Paralympic representation
• Innovative applications of body expression for preventing sexual abuse and building emotional intelligence
• Cross-national studies on aging populations (particularly Spain-Portugal collaborations)
• Pandemic-era investigations of mental health and physical activity
• Systematic reviews on addiction treatment through physical activity
• Development of assessment tools for violence prevention in educational settings

Her publication pattern since 2021 reveals intensifying focus on gerontology, gender equity in sports, and pandemic-related health impacts, with frequent use of systematic review methodologies and strong emphasis on practical interventions for vulnerable populations.

She has contributed to multiple research groups including HUM954 (Physical Activity, Promotion of Values, and Education), HUM643 (Education, Motor Skills and Research), and HUM604 (Lifestyle Development in the Life Cycle and Health Promotion), demonstrating sustained commitment to collaborative, socially relevant research.