Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension (HTN) represent a major health, financial and psychological burden on individuals, their families and society and cause important challenges to public health systems. Although T2D and HTN can be prevented through lifestyle changes, their prevalence is increasing in Europe with overweight and obesity being major risk factors. Given the association between parents’ and children’s weight status, targeting families and promoting a supportive environment could have multiple benefits on lifestyle and health for both high-risk parents and their offspring.
The currently hospital- and disease-centred healthcare systems need to be shifted into people-centred integrated care models focusing on health promotion and disease prevention. Digitalization of healthcare along with organizational and policy innovations could achieve the anticipated impact. Finally, T2D and HTN are strongly associated with socioeconomic disadvantages, suggesting a health inequality dimension that needs to be considered when planning public health initiatives for their prevention and management.
Considering all the above, DigiCare4You Consortium jointly works with local stakeholders to strengthen primary health systems and deliver an intersectoral innovation, involving digital tools, for early screening, prevention and management of T2D and HTN in an effective, efficient and equitable way. DigiCare4You solution consists of a two-stage screening procedure to identify families at high risk for T2D and/or HTN, followed by an intervention combining the use of digital tools and activities supporting families’ well-being in schools and communities. DigiCare4You project conducts an implementation study targeting more than 10,000 families in 2 middle-income countries (MICs, Albania & Bulgaria) and 2 high-income countries (HICs, Greece & Spain). Specifically, DigiCare4You project aims to:
• Study and understand the local needs & contextual factors
• Adapt the innovative solution & develop the evaluation tools for its implementation
• Implement the innovative solution, using existing facilities, personnel and processes to foster a low-cost and sustainable approach & evaluate its process, impact, outcome, cost-effectiveness, scalability and transferability
• Apply regular monitoring to refine protocols and ensure adaptability, equity and effective uptake
• Develop a roadmap to help policy makers across Europe adopt Digicare4You solution and promote people-centred care and integrated health services
