In support of personalised dietary and lifestyle advice services
The project QUALIFY (Quantify life – Feed yourself) developed a business model supporting complementary commercial activities for integrated personalised dietary and lifestyle advice, which could be tailored to specific target groups (e.g. Type II diabetics) or more general. Research organisations worked with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to build a digital platform optimising access and integration of results from previous EU-funded projects, such as EuroFIR, NuGO, EURRECA, EUROGENE and Food4Me. Work compromised of identifying previously fragmented sources of knowledge and data underpinning dietary advice from research organisations as well as testing (e.g. DIY analysis, dried blood spot analysis) and delivery approaches created by SMEs. Access to data and knowledge, ranging from food composition to genotype, were then integrated via Quisper to form a one-stop shop for value-added personalised dietary and lifestyle advice services. Quisper facilitates access to scientifically validated food and health datasets and knowledge that app developers can use to advance a new generation of web-based tools and services for personalised dietary and lifestyle advice. Importantly, this platform not only makes it possible for companies to enhance their personalised nutrition services but also facilitates feedback, gathering data from their services to augment existing datasets. The H2020 project RICHFIELDS will use Quisper to help design a platform that will integrate unstructured and structured data sources describing consumer behaviours concerning food choice (purchase, preparation and consumption. QUALIFY conducted three field studies targeting type II diabetics, overweight adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. This research delivered functional and targeted personalised dietary advice for each. Work in this phase included quantifying appropriate health parameters (e.g. anthropometric measurements and blood analysis) and compliance (e.g. remote monitoring), providing valuable input for self-quantification tools and services. Other work focused on business model concepts to deliver offerings tailored to potential end users, and assessing possible structures for partners to collaborate. QUALIFY disseminated widely amongst stakeholders, including dieticians and app developers. The non-profit Quisper Foundation was launched in February 2016 (Groningen, NL), under which Quisper Services BV will offer the platform services to future clients (e.g. dietitians, app developers, research organisations). Project activities have supported a societal technology-driven change from the public to personal with SMEs and research efforts helping Europeans enjoy a healthier life based on their goals and needs.
Keywords
Lifestyle advice, health, dietary advice, food, Quisper, nutrition
