Project ID #/Title: 22130215, 

Multidimensional approach in ensuring healthy behaviour in V4 coutries.

I. APPLICANT

 St. Elisabeth University, Institute for prevention and Intervention, Bratislava, Slovakia 

Coordinator of the project

Mariana Mrazova

Coordinator's phone:

+421903988286

II. PROJECT PARTNERS

Partner No. 1

Collegium Humanum - Warsaw Management University

Website: www.humanum.pl

Partner No. 2

 University of West Bohemia, Czechia

Website: https://www.fzs.zcu.cz/cs/

Partner No. 3

Debrecen University, Faculty of Health, Hungary

Website: www.foh.unideb.hu/en

Partner No. 4

Catholic University in Ružomberok, Slovakia

Website: https://www.ku.sk

Partner No. 5

J. Selye University, Slovakia

Website: https://www.ujs.sk/sk

Partner No. 6

 Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Institute of Nutrition and Genomics, Slovakia

Website: https://www.uniag.sk/sk

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

1.1 Project title: 

Multidimensional approach in ensuring healthy behaviour in V4 coutries.

Short description of the project:

The main goals of the project: 

1. Increasing health literacy of the general public in the field of health promotion, diseases prevention, and lifestyle changes 

2. Increase the motivation of individuals for a healthy lifestyle by developing hard and soft skills 

3. To find out the impact of lifestyle changes on the health of individuals by measuring objective parameters 

4. Research focused on lifestyle of the population of V4 and other participated coutries and on the impact of lifestyle changes on physical and psychical health.

2. PROJECT RELEVANCE AND CONTEXT

2.1 What is the main issue that your project would like to focus on? What is the current situation that you wish to change?

Behaviour, the product of individual or collective action, is a key determinant of people's health. Lifestyle risk factors are now recognised as leading contributors to morbidity and mortality in Europe. Smoking, lack of physical exercise, high calorie intake and excessive alcohol consumption leading to obesity, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are precursors of chronical diseases. There is convincing evidence that a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, a balanced diet, blood pressure control and smoking abstinence is associated with a longer and healthier life span.. Behaviour change is generally best served by a mix of interventions, delivered over a long period of time and modified in response to measured impact. Combining skill development using not only hard, but more focused on soft skills with underlying, intrinsic motivation and reason, is believed essential for lasting change. Current situation: Citizens in V4 countries have shorter life expectancy and worse health status than people in other EU countries. Adding years to life and life to years can be achieved by fostering healthier ways of life, reducing health inequalities and promoting healthy lifestyles. In the V4, however, the health literacy is relatively low 

We wish to change: 

1. Increase public health literacy 

2. Motivate individuals to behave healthily through a comprehensive and professional approach by increasing soft and hard skills 

3. Improve the health of individuals by adjusting lifestyles

2.2 What should be done to address this issue/problem? How does your project contribute to the solution?

By educating the general public in the form of webinars and consulting activities, we will contribute to improving public health soft and hard skills to motivate people to "behave healthily". Following should be done: Organization of webinars: planning, addressing experts, addressing participants Creating of the web site: presentations of experts, downloadable materials, articles, videos, communication with the public, research questionnaires Inviting participants to participate in research Selection of candidates for consulting activities: The project will also serve personnel consulting activities to verify the effectiveness of education and improve skills in the field of healthy behavior. By measuring biochemical indicators, anthropometric parameters and body composition (using the InBody analyzer), it will be possible to compare the health status of individuals before and after the intervention at monthly intervals. Simultaneous control and motivation will take place online 6. Research design - Scientific research will focus on the lifestyle and risk factors of the selected population in the V4 countries. The intervention should lead to a decrease in blood pressure, glycaemia, weight, fat mass, cholesterol and to an increase in physical activity, muscle mass, fitness and a healthier diet, and possibly to the elimination of smoking and alcohol consumption. 7. processing and promotion of research results

2.3. What added value does your project bring to the already existing practices? What is the innovative element in your proposal?

1. increased health literacy of the general public: Individuals without health literacy are able to search for information, but they cannot understand or interpret it correctly. 

2. broad dissemination of scientific and up to date informations to the public by experts: To be able to make an informed decision, individuals must continuously recieve science-based information and practical advice based on good practice 

3. a comprehensive approach improves adherence to long-term lifestyle changes - training dark and soft skills: Combining skill development with underlying, intrinsic motivation and reason, is believed essential for lasting change. Intrinsic motivation does not rely on external pressure, like rewards/approval or punishment/disapproval from peers or health professionals. The individual must believe the behaviour is enjoyable or compatible with their 'sense of self', values and life goals. 

4. verification of the effectiveness of the intervention by evaluating the health status of selected participants before and after the intervention 

5. comparison of research results within V4 countries: Feedbacks and communication with the public is also important, which will increase the willingness to participate in research. Based on the willingness of the public to participate in research, it is possible to make significant outputs (research) focused on risk factors, taking into account their profession, profession, education, comorbidities, risk behavior, ...with the ability to compare data in V4 countries.

2.4 What is the regional relevance of your proposal?

Project will be implemented in close cooperation with medical and academical institutions in all V4 countries, which will provide experts (doctors and scientists) for the research, involving broad public of all countries. The experts will later work with the results of the research, broadly disseminated in all countries focusing on the priorities that were jointly defined by our partners, taking into account the data from the WHO Global Health Observatory Database.