Empowering healthy lifestyle behaviour through personalised intervention portfolios to prevent and control obesity during vulnerable stages of life

Project Information

HealthyW8

Grant agreement ID: 101080645

DOI

10.3030/101080645

EC signature date 19 April 2023

Start date 1 May 2023

End date 30 April 2028

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 10 000 000,00

EU contribution

€ 10 000 000,00

Coordinated by

LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
Luxembourg

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HealthyW8 (Empowering healthy lifestyle behaviour through personalised intervention portfolios to prevent and control obesity during vulnerable stages of life)

Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2024-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Obesity is a complex, multifactorial chronic disease with biological, psychological, behavioral, and sociocultural origins that interact at various levels across the life-course. Obesity has been related to numerous co-morbidities and is now regarded as a disease. HealthyW8 strives to prevent the development of obesity in vulnerable populations at risk, focussing on young school-children (5-12 years), young adults (18-25 years) and the elderly (≥65 years), as these are populations undergoing lifestyle transitions and are at increased risk to progress from overweight to obesity. The overall objectives are:
1. Expand understanding of the biological causes underlying obesogenic trends & interactions with crosscutting environmental, behavioural & policy factors to propose evidence-based effective obesity prevention strategies.
2. Develop user-centred portfolio interventions to enhance the impact on lifestyle changes in an efficient, synergistic, long-lasting & sustainable way.
3. Iteratively optimise intervention strategies involving vulnerable populations/those undergoing transitions to maximise impact.
4. Leverage findings to EU stakeholders & foster multilevel uptake of solutions & strategies.

To reach these objectives, HealthyW8 will apply a combination of protective lifestyle aspects (portfolio interventions) to the target populations, centered around a combination of digital apps into a Healthy Lifestyle Recommender Solution (HLRS), combining healthy eating recommendations, physical activity encouragement, and nudges/gamification effects, also considering emotional aspects.

The approach is based on an iterative improvement of intervention strategies, starting from literature, including participatory designs and short pilot studies followed by long-term interventions across these vulnerable populations in 9 countries.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Achievements include the publication of two scoping review protocols in peer-reviewed journals, dealing with multicomponent biomarkers of obesity and digital nudges and gamification, respectively. One systematic review protocol on obesogenic environments was published in PROSPERO. We further drafted two manuscripts related to the scoping reviews. Regarding food-based dietary guidelines in Europe, we are currently developing the content analysis frame and the implementation survey.

Toward setting up the HLRS, we have created an IT infrastructure as a foundation for the integration of the HLRS tools, including an ontology-based Human Digital Twin (HDT) meta-model for user data. In parallel, 145 stakeholders participated in co-creation workshops in all HealthyW8 partner countries. The results were integrated into intervention strategies and new functionalities for the HLRS. This includes GameBus (app providing gamification campaigns with motivational features to engage users), and Nutrida (customized meal planning based on anthropometric data, dietary goals, preferences, allergies, and eating habits). Furthermore, a shared calendar application was integrated to manage local events, and the Experiencer app prompts the user about their emotional status.

To assure a homogenous data collection and study conduction, the consortium organized a 2-day training in Mallorca (06/2024), and standard operating procedures (SOPs) were written. The design protocols/methodology for 22 pilot studies were developed. Partners selected validated questionnaires and surveys to be administered to the target populations, and translated them into local languages. All partners have tested IT tools (GameBus, Nutrida) and instruments/test protocols to be used in pilot trials, such as RedCap. Wearables for the trials were chosen, including Samsung (Galaxy) Smartwatches, Garmin (Vivosmart), and accelerometers (e.g. ActiGraphs) for 24h movement measures. Most partners have obtained (conditional) ethical approval.

For integration/interpretation of data collected during the trials, potential statistical and econometric approaches and models are explored. A conceptual design for the project impact assessment strategy and the adaptation of the multilayer framework for lifestyle services innovation adoption (MIND) was evaluated. Access to the Microdata from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) was obtained, to simulate the economic impact of obesity on healthcare costs, life expectancy, and labour market conditions.

To enhance the visibility and impact of HealthyW8, a CDTEC Plan was created, and the project website (https://www.healthyw8.eu/) and Open Stakeholder Platform (OSP) were launched. Exploitation strategies, market research, and the development of an exploitation plan were started. External, international specialists were included in a Stakeholder Advisory Board (StAB) and meetings have garnered further valuable information to be integrated in the iterative HealthyW8 approach. Local stakeholder events and communication/dissemination were carried out via newspaper articles and radio interviews to enhance HealthyW8’s visibility and long-term impact.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The scoping reviews emphasize novel approaches and new directions with respect to obesity prevention strategies, highlighting combinations of biomarkers and the added benefit of nudges/gamification strategies. The findings will be exploited to drive new developments of biomarker combinations and tools in the domain of obesity prevention.

The overall iterative approach to the interventions will make significant progress beyond the state-of-the-art by developing new strategies to assess several health parameters and to provide users and other stakeholders with successful strategies for obesity prevention and weight excess management. For example, the combined collection of such data in a HDT will allow data fusion and new ways to create scientific evidence. The exploitation strategy, including market research and the development of a business plan, also positions HealthyW8 for future commercial viability. The project's broad dissemination and engagement activities ensure lasting societal benefits, from raising awareness to positively influencing health behavior. The developed solutions foster a strong socio-economic impact and will spark new policy initiatives at the EU level.

Objectives and progress scheme of the HealthyW8 project. Green checkmarks, expected outputs achieved