CORDIS

Our current lifestyles, based on ‘take-make-consume-dispose’ models of economic growth, are damaging the environment and threaten our health. Air and noise pollution, lack of green space, a lack of physical activity, overconsumption of processed foods and meats and the stresses of daily life (including social isolation),have been linked to growing levels of NCDs, including heart disease, cancer, mental health problems and diabetes. Those in lower socio-economic groups are much more likely to be exposed to environmental threats and unhealthy living conditions than those in other socio-economic groups, compounding disadvantage and increasing social, health and environmental inequalities. Further, western models of economic development cannot be replicated everywhere – there are simply insufficient resources for everyone on earth.

Awareness and a willingness to modify our lifestyles and behaviours and adopt more sustainable ones is growing, as reflected by the strong support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet achieving change is very difficult, since the contexts and environments in which we live are powerful influencers of habit development and maintenance. Both structured approaches that address context and environment, as well as targeted approaches to change behaviours are needed to encourage lifestyle and behaviour change. This requires collaboration across different government sectors and public and private actors.

It is against this background that INHERIT (Jan 2016 to Dec 2019) is identifying initiatives that encourage lifestyle and behaviour change, to support the transition to more sustainable societies. INHERIT’s overarching aim is to define effective inter-sectoral policies, interventions and innovations that promote the health and well-being of European citizens across the social gradient while also addressing environmental stressors and health inequalities ('triple-win'). The initiatives fall into the areas of living (green space, energy efficient housing), moving (active travel) and consuming (food and food waste). INHERIT will also further implement, study and promote the uptake of initiatives that encourage and enable people across the socio-economic spectrum to adopt healthier lifestyles and protect the environment.

The first year of the project focused on the development of a Baseline Review (WP 1, led by RIVM), providing a good understanding of the interactions between key environmental factors, health and well-being, inequality, lifestyles and behaviours across Europe. All partners contributed to the publication ‘Exploring triple-win solutions for living, moving and consuming that encourage behavioural change, protect the environment, promote health and health equity’ and accompanying Summary Report. Partners also developed the INHERIT Conceptual Framework (WP 1) that will underpin all INHERIT work. The Framework includes a model/tool for thinking about and navigate the complex issues addressed by INHERIT and to understand the relationships between behaviour, lifestyles, and the transition to sustainable and fair societies. The draft framework and model were discussed by external experts at two Validation Workshops in Spring 2017. They will be refined as the project evolves.

Partners identified over 100 ‘promising practices’ - interventions, programs, services, or strategies that show potential to develop into a best practice, based on criteria agreed on by the consortium. A number of these practices were selected for inclusion in an online Database of Promising Practices (WP 2, led by PROLEPSIS), which has now been developed and is available on the INHERIT website.

INHERIT partners are currently selecting, with input from the steering group, 12 of the promising practices in the database to be adapted, transferred, scaled-up and/or undergo further evaluation as pilot studies (WP 4, led by NTNU and 5, led by UCL). Partners are currently identifying how short-listed practices could be modified and further piloted. Preliminary planning has also been undertaken in relation to the 12 qualitative, six quantitative and three cost benefit evaluations that will be conducted.

Work was also performed in relation to the visioning, scenario-planning and back-casting work strand (WP 3, led by CSCP), creating a broader content in which to place promising practices and pilot studies and to encourage change in policy and practice. INHERIT partners engaged in desktop research to identify future trends and ranked these by order of certainty that they would occur, leading to the emergence of a number of ‘driving forces’ for significant change. CSCP applied this information to develop ‘future trend’ posters, considered by 31 international external experts at the ‘Future Scenario workshop’ that they organised. Participants rated the trends according to perceived impact and identified what some of the promising practices would look like in the year 2040. CSCP used this feedback to develop a series of future scenarios. Some WP 3 partners then agreed on two axes to define the dominant features of four different future societies and CSCP applied the information on future trends to these contexts, designing narratives to illustrate the possible everyday life of an average citizen in each of the four scenarios. Work also began on defining the focus of a household survey which will support efforts to develop plausible positive future scenarios and a roadmap for action.

Work also took place in the areas of Communication (WP 7, led by REVOLVE) and Coordination (WP 8, led by EuroHealthNet) to underpin and support the above activities. REVOLVE developed INHERIT’s visual identity and website (www.inherit.eu) as well as a range of tools for project partners to communicate about the project, including twitter and LinkedIn, a bi-yearly newsletter, brochures and short video interviews. EuroHealthNet, as project coordinators, engaged in a wide range of activities to ensure that INHERIT is implemented as planned and that high quality outputs contribute to the desired outcomes. This included the appointment of, and collaboration with the project evaluator and the ethics advisor. INHERIT maintains contact with two other H2020 projects (HEAT-SHIELD an

INHERIT expects to contribute a clearer conceptualisation of a future in which EU citizens ‘live within the limits of our blue planet’, as health continues to improve, and good health is more equally distributed across socio-economic groups. The results should encourage policy and decision makers, practitioners and the general public to embrace these visions and to take more action to motivate and enable change. The results should also lead to a greater focus on and efforts to address health inequalities. INHERIT is expected to contribute new evidence on measures that can lead to more environmentally sustainable, healthier and more equitable societies. It is also expected to result in new insights into how different actors, including the public and the private sector, can work in cooperation to achieve the more ‘triple-wins’ and more positive future scenarios. The potential impact will be to help ensure that European societies evolve in ways that enable all people to live and behave in ways that enhance quality of life.