Project description
Addressing non-communicable diseases among African adolescents
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise, straining urban health systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescents, many of whom are developing unhelpful habits such as unhealthy eating, inactivity, smoking and irregular sleep, are left out of prevention efforts. WHO-recommended policies to prevent NCDs are progressing slowly, and practical strategies to encourage healthy eating and regular exercise are still limited. The EU-funded Generation-H project aims to reduce unhealthy eating and physical inactivity among adolescents in urban Ghana and Kenya. Designing evidence-based interventions across schools, faith-based organisations, families, communities and digital platforms, the project adopts a multi-sectoral approach. The overall goal is to discover how best to put these interventions into practice and effectively lower adolescents’ risk of NCDs as they grow into adulthood.
Objective
The fragile health systems in urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are already overwhelmed with NCDs. Despite this, the implementation of the evidence-based WHO Best Buys policies for NCDs prevention in the African region has been found to be off-track. Additionally, less attention has been given to adolescents and yet this is a period in life where behavioural patterns of NCDs risk factors are established and track into adulthood. There is also a gap in our understanding on how to implement and scale up effective diet and physical activity interventions in real world settings in SSA.
Our project therefore aims to reduce two important modifiable risk factors for NCDs: unhealthy diets and physical inactivity and their underlying social determinants among adolescents (aged 10-19 years) living in mixed socio-economic urban communities in two SSA countries (Ghana & Kenya) by designing, deploying, and evaluating strategies for implementation of evidenced and theory based interventions mapped on to the WHO Best Buys. We selected the two countries because they represent different cultural contexts of nutrition transition (East and West Africa), and both countries are undergoing rapid economic development, urbanisation and increases in NCD prevalence. The intervention delivery will take a multi-sectoral approach to increasing the capability, opportunity and motivation of adolescents to eat healthier and be more physically active. We will focus on three settings to enhance the reach: secondary schools and, family/community/faith-based settings and the digital environment using social media.
Together, this project will increase opportunities, awareness, knowledge and health literacy, motivate adolescents to increase self-efficacy, guide self-regulatory actions and adopt positive health behaviour (such as dissuasion from physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours, or unhealthy food choices) to prevent NCDs.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.1.3 - Non-Communicable and Rare Diseases
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-07
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.