Health4EUkids

Official project website: https://www.dypede.gr/health4eukids/

Project Description

Health4EUkids aims at the implementation in the field of health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases, indicating best practices and risk factors from research results that have already developed from previous actions to a broader level and countries. The overall goal of the JA is to develop policy developments to foster public health investments at community level in each country member on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of   Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The implementation process will include the knowledge transfer between best practice owners (Smart Family and Grunau Moves) and partner organisations from the Member States through the implementation of actions, the cooperation and exchange of knowledge between Member States, the organisation of meetings, and related technical support. Scope of the project will be to promote to participating member states healthy lifestyles in families with children to prevent childhood obesity, to increase physical activity and healthy diet in children, families and communities with a focus on social norms, recognition and self-esteem in deprived districts in EU Member States. Also, to study the different requirements for member states to implement either Grunau Moves or Smart Family. Finally, to prepare the sustainability of these best practices and transfer to other member states based on the acquired knowledge and experience. The expected research results focus on the identification of concrete challenges in the prevention of NCDs and policy solutions in the form of best practices and innovative solutions for collective action between the EU Member States and the European Commission, to tackle the main public health challenges.

Added Value

The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate interventions to reduce obesity among children, tailored to the target population, addressing behaviour and social determinants of obesity. Interventions will be prepared on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the baseline situation in the country/region, continuous stakeholder involvement and a systematic, holistic, theoretical and empirically based approach.

As part of the project, the participating countries will implement one or both good practices – Grunau Moves from Germany and/or Smart Family from Finland, and develop policies to promote investment in public health at community level.

Grunau Moves is a programme that aims to create health support environments in underprivileged areas.

Smart Family (link to https://neuvokasperhe.fi/en/) is a programme that focuses on the health-educational activity of families through health, education and social care.

All participating Member States will promote healthy lifestyles in families with an emphasis on understanding social norms, identifying disadvantaged areas and reducing health inequalities.

Expected Results and Materials

The expected results of the programme focus on identifying concrete challenges in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and finding policy solutions in the form of support for the implementation of best practices and readiness to find innovative solutions and for cooperation between Member States and the European Commission. In Slovenia, the project will focus primarily on families with pregnant women, infants and toddlers. We want to emphasise the importance of different health determinants in the first 1.000 days for lifelong health and obesity prevention and to inform the professional public about the approach of encouraging families to a healthy lifestyle Smart Family.

Project Duration: 1 December 2022–1 December 2025

Supporting Organisation: 6th Health ADM (DYPEDE), Greece

Project Partners:

• National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Slovenia
• Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare
• Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Community of Valencia (FISABIO), Spain
• Ministry of Health, Portugal
• National Institute of Public Health, Croatia
• Sciensano, Belgium
• National Public Health Centre (NNK), Hungary
• Italian National Institute of Health (ISS)
• Vilnius City Public Health Bureau (KVSB), Lithuania
• Ministry for Health, Malta
• National Health Fund of Poland (NFZ)

Funding: European Union and HaDEA