€2.9 million grant for smart technology to permanently improve lifestyle

News
NWO has made a €2.9 million grant available for the research project 'healthy living as a service'. The aim of this project is for people to permanently improve their lifestyle. They receive support from smart technology and data with which health and living environment can be properly monitored. This motivates them to maintain their healthier lifestyle for a long time. The aim is to achieve a structural improvement in the equality of opportunity to live in good health. Claudine Lamoth, scientific director of the SPRINT research institute and movement scientist at the UMCG, leads the consortium of researchers, companies and social organisations that will carry out the research project.

In the Netherlands, people with a low socio-economic status (SES) live on average 6 years shorter and 15 years in less well-perceived health than people with a high SES. People with a low SES more often have to deal with an accumulation of problems in health, lifestyle and living environment. They also more often have problems with housing, working, learning, and living. Sustainable interventions that focus on health promotion should provide a solution for these vulnerable groups.


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'Healthy living as a service'

Diseases of affluence have a major impact on citizens, with differences in health related to socio-economic status. In order to realise lasting lifestyle changes, personal factors, but also the living and social environment are included in this project. Residents of the Northern Netherlands are starting 'healthy living as a service' together with researchers, artists and industry. They receive support from smart technology and data sciences, which monitor health and the living environment. This can motivate them to keep it up for a long time. Residents can make their own choices, because they become aware of the significance of technology and data to monitor health.

In 2040 all Dutch people will be healthy for 5 years longer

The research project contributes to the overarching mission objective of the Health & Care Knowledge and Innovation Agenda. The aim is that by 2040 all Dutch people will live at least five years longer in good health and that the health difference between the lowest and highest socio-economic groups has decreased by 30%. To achieve this, efforts are made to improve lifestyle and living environment. The aim is to reduce the burden of disease as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle and living environment by 30% by 2040 compared to 2020. To this end, sustainable innovative preventive interventions, aimed at both lifestyle and living environment, are being further developed and applied. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used to develop these evidence-based and effective interventions.

Consortium

The research project will start later this year and has a maximum duration of six years. The consortium consists of: UMCG, Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health, RUG, Hanze University Groningen, UTwente, Roessingh Research & Development, TU/e, TUDelft, deMaar, Evidencio, In4Art, KAW architecten, Life2Ledger, St. Vrienden van Diavantis, Van Wijnen Groningen, VitaalNed, HANNN, Groninger Dorpen, IBM Nederland, Sardes, Akkedeer, BuildinG, Chrono@work, Menzis, TZA, Ultraware, Mattch

More information: SPRINT