Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IDEAHL (Improving Digital Empowerment for Active Healthy Living)
Période du rapport: 2022-05-01 au 2024-04-30
The IDEAHL project involved over 1,500 stakeholders, from citizens/patients to health care and social services, policy makers, non-health sectors, academia, etc. in 10 countries running pilot projects. It also supports social innovation for person-centred care models.
The “health literacy”(HL) definition of EU Health Literacy Consortium was the purpose of IDEAHL: HL entails people’s knowledge and skills to access, understand, appraise and apply health information to make judgments and decisions in everyday life about health care, disease prevention and health promotion. “eHealth” refers to the use of ICT in health products, services and processes, combined with organisational changes in health systems and new skills to improve citizens’ health, efficiency and productivity. As defined by the EU Eurobarometer on digital health literacy and by the IC-Health project, "digital health literacy” (dHL) is the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic resources to make appropriate health decisions or solve a health problem.
IDEAHL aligns with EU4Health 2021-2027, enhancing digital transformation, trust in technology, and stakeholder involvement in developing dHL solutions. IDEAHL have made citizens and professionals see the potential of digital tools for active healthy lifestyles. It enhances a stronger EU and government investment in dHL, along with promoting stakeholder involvement in the development process of dHL solutions. IDEAHL achieved this by co-designing, developing, piloting, monitoring and evaluating a dedicated EU dHL Strategy.
Its main results are:
WP1- Collaborative work to map HL and dHL (T1.1) and to map best practices of HL and (d)HL and monitoring and evaluation approaches/frameworks of HL and (d)HL (levels) in Europe and beyond, coordinated by UCN as WP1 leader (T1.2) and by SeAMK (T1.3). The results are summarized in D1.1.
• A network of Champions (authors of the studies identified as best practices and champions in promoting HL and dHL) was created with 22 members.
• A Global Atlas of Literacies for Health (GALH) was launched (www.ideahl.eu/results or www.rmit.eu/galh) (see methodology in D1.2).
• A high-level policy event was held at the EU Parliament on March'23, where the project was endorsed by policymakers (MS2; D1.3).
WP2- A detailed co-creation methodology was created (D2.1). 140 co-creation activities were carried out involving 1,434 citizens from 19 different target groups and 10 different countries (D2.2). The EU dHL Strategy was released on October 30 (D2.3; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11395540(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)).
WP3- Implementation phase - 12 pilot actions were carried out (see D3.1) in the 10 project countries, and 3 of them were replicated by external agents. They served to monitor and evaluate the EU dHL Strategy.
WP4- Experts on Gender (9), Inclusion & Equity (7), and Ethics & Privacy (8) participated in a workshop (November 2023). A toolkit for inclusion, ethics, and privacy issues for healthcare professionals and policymakers was published (versions 1, 2, and 3). The IDEAHL study protocol was drafted and received favorable approval from ethics committees.
WP5- The IDEAHL website, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube channels were created. D5.1 (v1 and v2) on dissemination strategy was produced. A Memorandum of Understanding was developed, which includes a sustainability plan to continue the project's dissemination.
WP6- Consortium agreement, management structure, project materials developed (deliverables, technical & financial templates; financial justification & publication guidelines). Three General Assembly meetings were held: the kick-off (2022), interim (2023) and closing Conference (Brussels, 2024), 23 monthly SC meetings, and 4 meetings with the participation of AB members. Deliverable quality assurance, risk identification, and evaluation of project results for continuous internal evaluation of the project.
•Citizens will adopt healthier lifestyles and behaviours, make healthier choices, and maintain longer a healthy, independent and active life with a reduced disease burden, including at young and old ages or in other vulnerable stages or positions.
•Citizens will be empowered, through (d)HL actions, to manage better their own physical and mental health and well-being, monitor their health, and interact with their doctors and health care providers.
•Citizens’ trust in dHL interventions and in guidance from health authorities will be strengthened at all levels of the society including at young ages, resulting in increased engagement in and adherence to effective strategies for health promotion, diseases prevention and treatment.
•Dialogue and coordination between stakeholders and policy makers as well as integration across different settings will be ensured to develop more effective cross-sectoral (d)HL solutions for all.
The impact of the IDEAHL EU dHL Strategy will be not only on Member States’ healthcare systems and social services, but also on citizens at social and personal level. Overall, European citizens will be directly reached by the project, educated, motivated, and empowered to use digital tools for monitoring and managing their own physical, mental, and social health and well-being. As a result, they will take on a more active role in achieving their health potential and in adopting healthy lifestyles at work, and with their community.