Baltic Cities tackle lifestyle related diseases – The development of an innovative model for prevention interventions targeting public health authorities in the Baltic Sea Region

BaltCityPrevention

PROGRAMME 2014-2020

priority

1 Innovation

objective

1.3 Non-technological innovation

BaltCityPrevention

The Interreg project BaltCityPrevention helped public health authorities in the cities around the Baltic Sea to better promote healthy lifestyle, introduce eHealth technologies and strengthen cooperation between public health authorities and business.

The challenge

Strokes, obesity, and heart and lung diseases are among the health challenges in Europe. This implies a need in a new service development approach in the public health sector. Current prevention measures are often ineffective, since the methods are not tailored to the users. To improve the tailoring of interventions to the specific needs of the user group, there was a need in developing the prevention measures together with the users. A customized approach required an assessment of the end-users´ needs and better understanding of the drivers of the behavioural change. New technologies were needed in the planning, implementation and evaluation procedures.

Besides, an improved cooperation between public health authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises would facilitate generation of new ideas and introduction of new digital technologies. However, the collaboration among the mentioned actors is undeveloped as there are fundamental differences in e.g. customer approach and working modes.

The project intended to help public health authorities, e.g. health care and social departments´ representatives in municipalities to better promote healthy lifestyle by developing and testing a model that public health authorities can apply in prevention intervention planning. The project aimed at development of a new appoach by applying participatory methods in the planning, introduction of digital technologies in the planning and implementation, and improved cooperation between public health authorities and business.

details

Budgets

BaltCityPrevention
in numbers

2.69

Million

Total
2.14

Million

Erdf
0.00

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Achievements

Pilots showcase concrete solutions

The project developed an intervention model and toolboxes that help health professionals to better plan, implement and evaluate health promotion interventions. The model combines methods such as focus groups, motivational interviewing, eHealth applications, chatbots, and health games. The public health authorities, e.g. health professionals, school nursers, teachers, applied the new model at the pilot sites. Through the project’s pilots, the involved public health authorities improved the planning of various health interventions by identifying the needs of the users (mainly children and adolescents). The use of innovative etools helped the project to reach children and adolescents and thus improve their health behaviour. For example, the Seinäjoki Social and Primary Health Care Center (Project Partner) tested a digital solution called “FUME” and developed an app (“EiNi”) supporting adolescents to adopt a nicotine-free lifestyle. The pilot took place in cooperation with the enterprise "VALAKIA Interactive". Together, the health care centre and the enterprise used methods, such as focus groups or motivational interviews. The young people involved in the pilot provided their feedback during the whole process.

Improved cooperation with business

Thanks to BaltCityPrevention, public health authorities (usually responsible for initiating and implementing health promotion programs in cities or municipalities) can now better cooperate with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sectors of health promotion and digitalisation. The project organised hackathons to bring children and young people together with public health authorities and SMEs, and jointly develop ideas for an eHealth solution improving children’s and young people’s health behaviour. The project enhanced physical activity among adolescents by creating a new eHealth app collaborating with an SME.

The Interreg project BaltCityPrevention used EUR 2.3 million to upscale health promotion, primarily among the young end-users, integrated e-Health technologies, and supported the end-users in the prevention interventions.

Outputs

The EiNi app

The EiNi app is a Finnish app to support adolescents to establish a nicotine-free lifestyle. It helps them in reducing or quitting products such as tobacco or snus. The app includes different small tasks to distract, activate or calm down the user so that the urge to smoke or take snus would pass. These small tasks are physical activities, breathing exercises, writing exercises, and a game. It also informs on the financial consequences of smoking. The app can be found on Google Play.

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Project Stories

30.08.2018

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The health sector is facing great challenges in all countries around the Baltic Sea: demographic change, more and more people with chronic diseases and a declining number of doctors, in particular in rural areas. One important solution aiming for better treatment of patients is eHealth.
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