A meeting focusing on the transferability of knowledge and sustainability of the joint activities of the Health4EUKids and PreventNCDs programmes - Transferability and Sustainability meeting - is taking place in Rome from 27-28 March. Coordinated by Angela Giusti and Chiara Cattaneo of the Italian National Institute of Health, the meeting provides an opportunity to assess progress in implementing activities to prevent obesity among children.
Two key practices in this area were discussed during the meeting:
Smart Family is an approach that enables professionals to use tools such as cards, educational brochures and websites to support expectant families and those with children aged 0 to 12 years. The aim of this initiative is to provide knowledge about healthy lifestyles, particularly with regard to diet and physical activity.
Grunau Moves is a comprehensive, long-term programme that focuses on community engagement and support by organising social activities. It focuses on sustainability and takes into account cultural and social contexts. The programme aims to build strong social ties, trust, and activate local communities to support health promotion in their community.
Activities include:
- Creating healthy learning environments in kindergartens and schools through education, empowerment of professionals and collaboration of local institutions.
- Promoting physical activity and healthy habits by working with policy makers to plan public spaces and youth support programmes.
- Increase the involvement of children and their families in physical activity and healthy eating, with a focus on creating positive social norms and self-esteem.
The Medical University of Silesia in Katowice is actively involved in the Health4EUKids initiative as part of Work Package 6, implementing Smart Family in Poland together with the National Health Fund (NFZ). This programme aims to combat childhood obesity in Poland and combines with PreventNCDs activities to ensure greater synergy and effectiveness of the actions taken. Katarzyna Brukało, project leader at the Medical University of Silesia, is also attending the meeting.
The programme offers practical tips on how families can incorporate healthy habits into their daily routine. It emphasises the importance of taking care of health through proper diet, physical activity, rest and limiting screen time. The Smart Family programme aims to motivate families to take action that leads to visible and lasting health outcomes.
The meeting also focused on the role of health services and the need to involve local communities in change processes. The importance of working together at national and local level to ensure effective and sustainable health outcomes was highlighted.
One of the main objectives of the event was to explore the potential for collaboration between the Health4EUKids and PreventNCDs initiatives, particularly in preventing childhood obesity and promoting breastfeeding. Both issues are an integral part of Work Package 6 activities in both projects.
Countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece in particular have initiated joint efforts that lay the foundation for cooperation between the two initiatives. These efforts will be continued and developed in the future to ensure long-term integration and stability, as well as to strengthen the effectiveness of the initiatives in the participating countries.